:_mod-docs-content-type: CONCEPT

[id='con-oauth-project-{context}']
= Before you begin configuring OAuth 2.0

[role="_abstract"]
Strimzi enables OAuth 2.0 for Kafka using the Strimzi OAuth libraries to handle authentication and authorization. 
This section describes only the configuration that is required when deploying OAuth with Strimzi.

For reference information, advanced configuration options, and platform-specific examples, see the {oauth-project}.

Strimzi can integrate with any OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect compliant authorization server.
If you are using a specific provider, refer to its documentation for information on how the following must be configured:

* Client registration  
* Token and JWKS endpoints  
* Authorization features (such as scopes, roles, or policies)  
* Realm, tenant, or application definitions  

Strimzi also provides **Keycloak-specific examples**, including realm files and Kafka cluster
configurations that demonstrate how to use Keycloak Authorization Services with Kafka:

* xref:config-examples-{context}[Example configuration files]

If you use Keycloak, you may also find the Keycloak project documentation helpful:

* {keycloak-docs}  

Review the documentation for your OAuth provider to understand how tokens are issued and validated,
and how authorization rules are managed, before configuring OAuth on Kafka listeners or Kafka clients
in Strimzi.
