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Authentication

Connect PPDS to your Power Platform environment using one of the supported authentication methods.

Quick Start (Interactive)​

For development, use interactive browser login:

ppds auth login

This opens your default browser for Microsoft authentication. After signing in, your credentials are cached securely.

Authentication Methods​

Interactive Login​

Best for local development. Opens a browser for Microsoft sign-in.

ppds auth login --environment https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com

Service Principal (Client Credentials)​

Best for CI/CD pipelines and automation.

ppds auth login \
  --client-id <app-id> \
  --client-secret <secret> \
  --tenant-id <tenant-id> \
  --environment https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com

Setting up a Service Principal​

  1. Register an application in Azure AD
  2. Create a client secret
  3. Grant the application user access in Power Platform admin center
  4. Assign appropriate security roles

Connection String​

For compatibility with existing tools:

ppds auth login --connection-string "AuthType=ClientSecret;Url=https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com;ClientId=<app-id>;ClientSecret=<secret>"

SDK Authentication​

Using DefaultAzureCredential​

Works automatically with Azure CLI, managed identities, and environment variables:

using Azure.Identity;
using PowerPlatformDeveloperSuite.SDK;

var credential = new DefaultAzureCredential();
var client = new PowerPlatformClient(options =>
{
    options.EnvironmentUrl = "https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com";
    options.Credential = credential;
});

Using Client Credentials​

var client = new PowerPlatformClient(options =>
{
    options.EnvironmentUrl = "https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com";
    options.ClientId = "<your-app-id>";
    options.ClientSecret = "<your-secret>";
    options.TenantId = "<your-tenant-id>";
});

With Dependency Injection​

services.AddPowerPlatformClient(options =>
{
    options.EnvironmentUrl = Configuration["PowerPlatform:Url"];
    options.ClientId = Configuration["PowerPlatform:ClientId"];
    options.ClientSecret = Configuration["PowerPlatform:ClientSecret"];
    options.TenantId = Configuration["PowerPlatform:TenantId"];
});

Environment Variables​

Configure authentication via environment variables for CI/CD:

VariableDescription
PPDS_ENVIRONMENT_URLPower Platform environment URL
PPDS_CLIENT_IDAzure AD application (client) ID
PPDS_CLIENT_SECRETApplication client secret
PPDS_TENANT_IDAzure AD tenant ID
export PPDS_ENVIRONMENT_URL="https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com"
export PPDS_CLIENT_ID="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000"
export PPDS_CLIENT_SECRET="your-secret"
export PPDS_TENANT_ID="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000"

ppds auth login --use-env

Verify Connection​

Test your authentication:

ppds auth status

Expected output:

Connected to: https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com
User: user@contoso.com
Auth method: Interactive
Token expires: 2024-01-15 14:30:00

Troubleshooting​

"AADSTS50011: Reply URL mismatch"​

Your Azure AD app registration is missing the required redirect URI. Add http://localhost to the Mobile and desktop applications platform.

"Insufficient privileges"​

The authenticated user or service principal lacks required security roles. Assign at least System Customizer for read operations or System Administrator for full access.

Token caching issues​

Clear the cached credentials:

ppds auth logout
ppds auth login

Next Steps​