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Quickstart Tidecloak

A developer-oriented guide to deploy and navigate TideCloak's Admin Console for identity and access management.

Prerequisites​

  • Docker installed & running
  • Internet connectivity
  • CLI familiarity (Docker, curl, gh)
Docker Installation
for pkg in docker.io docker-doc docker-compose podman-docker containerd runc; do sudo apt-get remove -y $pkg; done

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc > /dev/null
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

1. Start TideCloak in Dev Mode​

Run a pre‑configured Dev container:

sudo docker run \
  --name mytidecloak \
  -d \
  -v .:/opt/keycloak/data/h2 \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -e KC_BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_USERNAME=admin \
  -e KC_BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_PASSWORD=password \
  tideorg/tidecloak-dev:latest
  • --name: setting name for the server
  • -d: run in the background
  • -v: map the database to local folder to make it persistant
  • -p 8080:8080: map host port
  • KC_BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_[USERNAME | PASSWORD]: set admin credentials

After few seconds, you'll be able to access the Admin console: http://localhost:8080

Optional: Check TideCloak console logs​

sudo docker logs mytidecloak -f

2. Activate Your License​

  1. Log in to Admin console (admin/password).
  2. Manage your realm: myrealm (default Dev realm).
  3. Go to Identity Providers → tide → Manage License.
  4. Click Request License, enter your email, and confirm.

Free developer license supports up to 100 users.

3. Test with the Dummy App​

Use TideCloak's test client:

  1. Open https://test.tidecloak.com/.
  2. Verify defaults to be
    • TideCloak URL: http://localhost:8080
    • Realm: myrealm
    • Client: myclient
  3. Click Save.
  4. Click Sign in → complete auth via Tide portal.

Test App Sign-In

Successful login confirms your host is operational.

Admin Console Quick Tasks​

a. Create a Realm​

What is a Realm? A realm groups users, roles, and clients.

  1. Admin UI → Master dropdown → Add Realm
  2. Enter myrealm-dev → Create

Add Realm

b. Create a User​

What is a User? Represents an individual account.

  1. Users → Add User
  2. Enter username, click Save
  3. Go to Credentials tab → Credential Reset link → set Reset action: Link Tide Account → Copy Link button
  4. Paste the link in a message to the designated user (DM / email / SMS)
  5. Have user follow the instructions.

Add User

c. Register a Client​

What is a Client? An application that uses TideCloak for auth.

  1. Clients → Create
  2. Enter Client ID: myclient, Protocol: openid-connect → Save

Add Client

  1. Configure Redirect URIs, Access Type, Scopes → Save

Configure Client

Account & SDK Clients​

User Account Console​

  • URL: http://localhost:8080/realms/myrealm-dev/account
  • Users manage profile, password, 2FA

Account Console

SDK Integration Client​

Create a dedicated client for SDKs:

  1. Clients → Create
  2. Client ID: tide-sdk-client, Protocol: openid-connect → Save
  3. Configure Access Type: confidential, Redirect URIs, Web Origins

SDK Client

Done! You've deployed TideCloak Dev, activated licensing, and completed core Admin Console tasks. Integrate further via CLI, REST API, or Terraform.