README.md

# `inc-validator`

A micro-service to perform SAML metadata validation.

Built using:

* OpenAPI 2 and Swagger
* Shibboleth Metadata Aggregator
* Spring Boot

## Spring Contexts

The Spring application contexts in the application are arranged as follows:

![Contexts](doc/contexts.png)

The root `ApplicationContext` in the application is the one provided by Spring
Boot. This is primarily configured using Java and annotations, but the
classpath resource `root-beans.xml` is also loaded into this context. This
provides some convenience when importing XML configuration from other uses of
the Shibboleth component framework.

The classpath resource `common-beans.xml` is used to configure a
`ClassPathXmlApplicationContext` which takes the root context as its
parent. The `common-beans.xml` context should be used to provide any
beans which will be useful in all validators, so that they don't end up
with a lot of duplication.

Each validator lives in a `ClassPathXmlApplicationContext` of its own.
These are loaded from classpath resources named in the property
`validator.configurations`. The validator contexts are given the
`common-beans.xml` context as their parent.

Each validator context must have the following beans:

* A `String` bean called `id`, which becomes the unique identifier for the
  validator.

* A `String` bean called `description`, which provides a description for the
  validator for use at the `/validators` endpoint.

* A `Pipeline<Element>` bean called `pipeline`, which is the metadata aggregator
  pipeline to execute to perform validation.

* A unnamed `IdentifiableBeanPostProcessor` bean which takes care of copying
  Spring bean `id` attributes into the corresponding Shibboleth component `id`
  if the latter is not supplied. Note that this behaviour only applies for beans
  in the same context as the `IdentifiableBeanPostProcessor` bean and is not
  inherited from the `common-beans.xml` context.

## Copyright and License

The entire package is Copyright (C) 2018, Ian A. Young.

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.