Certificate-Based Authentication

Set up SharePoint connector using certificate-based authentication with optional permission sync support

Certificate-based authentication provides a secure way to connect to SharePoint and supports both basic integration and permission sync functionality. Use certificate authentication when:

  • You need permission sync capabilities
  • You prefer certificate-based security over client secrets
  • Your organization requires certificate-based authentication

For basic SharePoint integration without permission sync, you can also use client secret authentication.

Setting up

Step 1: Create Azure App Registration

1. Open Azure Portal

Log in to Azure Portal for your organization.

2. Open App registrations

Navigate to "App registrations" using the search bar.

3. Create registration

Click New Registration.

4. Name and register app

Name it something like "Negere-Fej SharePoint Connector - Certificate", leave everything else as default, and click Register.

5. Save IDs

Under "Essentials" in the overview tab, you will find the Application (client) ID and Directory (tenant) ID. Save those for later.

Step 2: Generate and Upload Certificate

Option A: Generate Self-Signed Certificate

# Generate private key
openssl genrsa -out sharepoint-cert.key 2048

# Generate certificate signing request
openssl req -new -key sharepoint-cert.key -out sharepoint-cert.csr

# Generate self-signed certificate (valid for 1 year)
openssl x509 -req -days 365 -in sharepoint-cert.csr -signkey sharepoint-cert.key -out sharepoint-cert.crt

# Convert to PFX format
openssl pkcs12 -export -out sharepoint-cert.pfx -inkey sharepoint-cert.key -in sharepoint-cert.crt

Option B: Use Organization Certificate

Obtain a certificate from your organization's Certificate Authority (CA) following your internal security policies. We only support PFX format for certificate uploads in Azure.

Step 3: Upload Certificate to Azure

1. Open Certificates & secrets

In your Azure App Registration, navigate to the "Certificates & secrets" tab.

2. Upload certificate

Click Upload certificate.

3. Select file

Select your certificate file (.crt, .pem, or .cer format).

4. Add certificate

Add a description and click Add.

Step 4: Configure API Permissions

1. Open API Permissions

Navigate to the "API Permissions" tab in the Azure Portal.

2. Add a permission

Click Add a permission.

Basic Permissions (No Permission Sync)

If you are not planning to enable permission sync, you only need basic permissions:

1. Choose Microsoft Graph

Click Microsoft Graph, then click on Application permissions.

2. Select Sites.Read.All

Navigate to the "Sites" permission group. Select the checkbox for Sites.Read.All.

Advanced: If you want to limit the sites this app has access to, select Sites.Selected. However, if you do this, you will need to add the App you are currently registering to each site you want to index.

3. Add and grant

Click Add permissions. Finally, click Grant admin consent for <Organization name> and click Confirm.

Extended Permissions (With Permission Sync)

If you plan to enable permission sync, you'll need additional permissions:

1. Microsoft Graph application permissions

Add the following additional Microsoft Graph permissions:

  • Directory.Read.All - Read directory data
  • Group.Read.All - Read all groups
  • GroupMember.Read.All - Read all group memberships
  • Member.Read.Hidden - Read all hidden memberships
  • User.Read.All - Read all users' full profiles
2. Microsoft Graph delegated permission

Add the following delegated permission:

  • User.Read - Sign in and read user profile
3. SharePoint application permissions

Add the following SharePoint permissions:

  • Sites.FullControl.All - Have full control of all site collections
  • User.Read.All - Read user profiles
4. Grant admin consent

Finally, click Grant admin consent for <Organization name> and click Confirm.

Step 5: Configure in Negere-Fej

1. Open SharePoint connector

Navigate to the Negere-Fej Admin Panel and select the SharePoint Connector.

2. Create Certificate credential

Click Create New credential and select the Certificate tab.

3. Enter credential details

  • Application (client) ID from Step 1
  • Directory (tenant) ID from Step 1
  • Certificate File: Upload your certificate file (.pfx file)
  • Certificate Password: Enter password which you used to export the certificate file

4. Save credentials

Click Create to save your credentials.

Step 6: Enable Permission Sync (Optional)

When creating your SharePoint connector with certificate authentication:

1. Locate Permission Sync option

In the connector configuration, you'll see a Permission Sync option.

2. Enable Permission Sync

Enable this option to synchronize SharePoint permissions with Negere-Fej.

Permission sync is available only on Cloud and the Enterprise Edition of Negere-Fej.

Permission Sync Details

When permission sync is enabled:

  • Document-level permissions: Negere-Fej will respect SharePoint document permissions
  • Site-level permissions: Users will only see documents from sites they have access to
  • Group permissions: SharePoint group memberships are synchronized
  • Real-time sync: Permissions are updated regularly to reflect SharePoint changes

For basic SharePoint integration without permission sync, you can use client secret authentication.