Okta Expression Language in Okta Identity Engine

Identity Engine

Overview

This document details the features and syntax of Okta Expression Language used for the authentication policies of the Identity Engine, and for Access Certification campaigns (opens new window) and Entitlement Management policies for Okta Identity Governance.

Expressions used outside of these areas should continue using the features and syntax of Okta Expression Language. This document is updated as new capabilities are added to the language. Okta Expression Language is based on a subset of SpEL functionality (opens new window).

Unsupported features

The following operators and functionality offered by SpEL aren't supported in Okta Expression Language:

• Decrement operator (opens new window)
• Increment operator (opens new window)
• Instanceof operator (opens new window)
• Between operator (opens new window)
• Assign (opens new window)
• Bean reference (opens new window)
• Constructor reference (opens new window)
• Function reference (opens new window)
• Type reference (opens new window)
• Variable reference (opens new window)
• Projection (opens new window)
• Qualified identifier (opens new window)

Referencing attributes

Okta User Profile

When you create an Okta expression, you can reference any property that exists in an Okta User Profile in addition to some top-level User properties.

Note: You can't use the user.status expression with group rules. See Group rule operations and Create group rules (opens new window).

Syntax	Definitions	Examples
user.$property	user - references the Okta user property - top-level property variable name Values: id, status, created, lastUpdated, passwordChanged, lastLogin	user.id user.status user.created
user.profile.$profile_property	profile_property - references the user profile property, including custom-defined properties	user.profile.firstName user.profile.email

Okta Device Profile

When you create an Okta expression, you can reference EDR attributes and any property that exists in an Okta Device Profile.

Syntax	Definitions	Examples
device.profile.$profile_property	profile_property - references a Device Profile property	device.profile.managed device.profile.registered
device.provider.<vendor>.<signal>	vendor - references a vendor, such as wsc for Windows Security Center or zta for CrowdStrike signal - references the supported EDR signal by the vendor	device.provider.wsc.fireWall device.provider.wsc.autoUpdateSettings device.provider.zta.overall

See Integrate with Endpoint Detection and Response solutions (opens new window) and Available EDR signals by vendor (opens new window) for details about vendor and signal.

Security Context

You can specify certain rule conditions in authentication policies using expressions based on the Security Context of the app sign-on request. Security Context is made up of the risk level (opens new window) and the matching User behaviors (opens new window) for the request.

Syntax	Definitions	Type	Examples	Usage
security.risk.level	security - references the Security Context of the request risk - references the risk (opens new window) context of the request level - the risk level associated with the request	String	'LOW' 'MEDIUM' 'HIGH'	security.risk.level == 'HIGH' security.risk.level != 'LOW'
security.behaviors	security - references the Security Context of the request behaviors - the list of matching User behaviors (opens new window) for the request, by name.	Array of Strings	{'New IP', 'New Device'}	security.behaviors.contains('New IP') && security.behaviors.contains('New Device')

Login Context

Early Access

You can specify the dynamic IdP using expressions based on Login Context that holds the user's username as the identifier.

Syntax	Definitions	Type
login.identifier	login references the Login Context of the request. identifier references the user's username.	String

Functions

Okta offers a variety of functions to manipulate properties to generate a desired output. You can combine and nest functions inside a single expression.

Note: For the following expression examples, assume that the following properties exist in Okta and that the User has the associated values.

Attribute	Type	Data
user.created	ZonedDateTime	2015-07-30T23:58:32.000Z
user.firstName	String	"John"
user.lastName	String	"Doe"
user.email	String	"john.doe@okta.com"
user.strArray	Array	{"one", "two"}
user.intArray	Array	{1, 2, 3}
user.stringDouble	String	"1.1"
user.country	String	"United States"
user.countryAlpha2	String	"US"
user.countryAlpha3	String	"USA"
user.isContractor	Boolean	False

String functions

Function	Input Parameter Signature	Return Type	Example	Output
$string_object.toUpperCase	-	String	'test'.toUpperCase()	"TEST"
			user.profile.firstName.toUpperCase()	"JOHN"
$string_object.toLowerCase	-	String	'TEST'.toLowerCase()	"test"
$string_object.substring	(int startIndex)	String	'test.substring(1)'	"est"
$string_object.substring	(int startIndex, int endIndex)	String	user.profile.firstName.substring(1,3)	"oh"
$string_object.replace	(String match, String replacement)	String	'hello'.replace('l', 'p')	"heppo"
			user.profile.firstName.replace('ohn', 'ames')	"James"
$string_object.replaceFirst	(String match, String replacement)	String	'hello'.replaceFirst('l', 'p')	"heplo"
$string_object.length	-	Integer	'test'.length()	4
$string_object.removeSpaces	-	String	'This is a test'.removeSpaces()	"Thisisatest"
$string_object.contains	(String searchString)	Boolean	'This is a test'.contains('test')	True
			'This is a test'.contains('Test')	False
$string_object.substringBefore	(String searchString)	String	user.profile.email.substringBefore('@')	"john.doe"
$string_object.substringAfter	(String searchString)	String	user.profile.email.substringAfter('@')	"okta.com"
			user.profile.email.substringAfter('.')	"doe@okta.com"

Note: In the substring function, startIndex is inclusive and endIndex is exclusive.

Array functions

Function	Input Parameter Signature	Return Type	Example	Output
$array_object.contains	(Object searchItem)	Boolean	user.profile.intArray.contains(3)	True
			{1, 2, 3}.contains('one')	False
$array_object.size	-	Integer	user.profile.strArray.size()	2
$array_object.isEmpty	-	Boolean	{}.isEmpty()	True
$array_object.add	(Object itemToAdd)	Array	user.profile.strArray.add('zero')	{"one", "two", "zero"}
			{'one', 'two'}.add('two')	{"one", "two", "two"}
$array_object.remove	(Object itemToRemove)	Array	user.profile.intArray.remove(1)	{2, 3}
			{2, 3}.remove(1)	{2, 3}
$array_object.flatten	-	Array	{\\{1}, {2, 3}\\}.flatten()	{1, 2, 3}
			user.profile.intArray.flatten()	{1, 2, 3}

Conversion Functions

Data Conversion Functions

Function	Return Type	Example	Output
$string_object.toInteger	Integer	user.profile.stringDouble.toInteger()	1
		user.profile.email.toInteger()	An exception is thrown
		'-2147483649'.toInteger()	2147483647
$string_object.toNumber	Double	user.profile.stringDouble.toNumber()	1.1
		'1.7'.toNumber()	1.7
		'123This is a test'.toNumber()	An exception is thrown
$number_object.toInteger	Integer	1.1.toInteger()	1
		-1.6.toInteger()	-2
		2147483647.7.toInteger()	-2147483648 (Integer overflow)

Note: The toInteger functions round the passed numeric value (or the String representation of the numeric value) either up or down to the nearest integer. Make sure to consider integer type range limitations when you convert to an integer with these functions.

Country Code conversion functions

These functions convert between ISO 3166-1 2-character country codes (Alpha 2), 3-character country codes (Alpha 3), numeric country codes, and full ISO country names.

Function	Return Type	Example	Output
$string_object.parseCountryCode	CountryCode	user.profile.country.parseCountryCode()	US (CountryCode object)
		user.profile.countryAlpha2.parseCountryCode()	US (CountryCode object)
		user.profile.countryAlpha3.parseCountryCode()	US (CountryCode object)
		'840'.parseCountryCode()	US (CountryCode object)
$country_code_object.toAlpha2	String	'USA'.parseCountryCode().toAlpha2()	"US"
$country_code_object.toAlpha3	String	'840'.parseCountryCode().toAlpha3()	"USA"
$country_code_object.toNumeric	String	'United States'.parseCountryCode().toNumeric()	"840"
$country_code_object.toName	String	'US'.parseCountryCode().toName()	"United States"

Note: You can call the parseCountryCode function on the String representations of ISO 3166-1 2-character country codes (Alpha 2), 3-character country codes (Alpha 3), numeric country codes, and country names. You can call the other four functions on country code objects and return the output in the format specified by the function names.

See the ISO 3166-1 online lookup tool (opens new window).

Group functions

Note: For the following expression examples, assume that the User is a member of the following Groups:

Group ID	Group Name	Group Type
00gak46y5hydV6NdM0g4	Everyone	BUILT_IN
00g1emaKYZTWRYYRRTSK	West Coast Users	OKTA_GROUP
00garwpuyxHaWOkdV0g4	West Coast Admins	OKTA_GROUP
00gjitX9HqABSoqTB0g3	Engineering Users	APP_GROUP

Group functions take in a list of search criteria as input. Each search criteria is a key-value pair:
Key: Specifies the matching property. Currently supported keys are: group.id, group.type, and group.profile.name.
Value: Specifies a list of matching values.

The group.id and group.type keys can match values that are exact.

The group.profile.name key supports the operators EXACT and STARTS_WITH to identify exact matches or matches that include the value. If no operator is specified, the expression uses STARTS_WITH. These operators can't be used with group.id or group.type.

Function	Return Type	Example	Output
user.getGroups	Array	user.getGroups({'group.id': {'00gjitX9HqABSoqTB0g3'}}, {'group.profile.name': 'West Coast.*'})	{}
		user.getGroups({'group.type': {'OKTA_GROUP'}}, {'group.profile.name': {'Everyone', 'West Coast Admins'}})	A list of User Groups that contains the Groups with ID 00garwpuyxHaWOkdV0g4
		user.getGroups({'group.profile.name': 'East Coast.*'})	{}
		user.getGroups({'group.type': {'OKTA_GROUP', 'APP_GROUP'}})	A list of User Groups that contains the Groups with IDs 00g1emaKYZTWRYYRRTSK, 00garwpuyxHaWOkdV0g4, and 00gjitX9HqABSoqTB0g3
user.isMemberOf	Boolean	user.isMemberOf({'group.id': {'00gjitX9HqABSoqTB0g3', '00garwpuyxHaWOkdV0g4'}}, {'group.type': 'APP_GROUP'})	True
		user.isMemberOf({'group.id': {'00gjitX9HqABSoqTB0g3', '00garwpuyxHaWOkdV0g4'}}, {'group.type': 'BUILT_IN'})	False
		user.isMemberOf({'group.profile.name': 'West Coast', 'operator': 'STARTS_WITH' })	True
		user.isMemberOf({'group.profile.name': 'West Coast', 'operator': 'EXACT' })	False

Linked Object function

Use this function to retrieve the User that is identified with the specified primary relationship. You can then access properties of that User.

• Function: user.getLinkedObject($primaryName)
  • Parameter: (String primaryName)
  • Return Type: User
  • Example: user.getLinkedObject("manager").lastName
  • Example Result: Gates

Time functions

Note: For the following expression examples, assume that the current date and time is 2015-07-31T17:18:37.979Z.

Function	Input Parameter Signature	Return Type	Example	Output
DateTime.now	-	ZonedDateTime	DateTime.now()	2015-07-31T17:18:37.979Z (The current date-time in the UTC time-zone)
$string_object.parseWindowsTime	-	ZonedDateTime	'130828367179790000'.parseWindowsTime()	2015-07-31T17:18:37.979Z
$string_object.parseUnixTime	-	ZonedDateTime	'1438377580979'.parseUnixTime()	2015-07-31T21:19:40.979Z
$string_object.parseStringTime	-	ZonedDateTime	'2015-06-17T00:23:19.676Z'.parseStringTime()	2015-06-17T00:23:19.676Z
$string_object.parseStringTime	(String dateTimeFormat)	ZonedDateTime	'17 June 2015 00:23:19'.parseStringTime('dd MMMM yyyy HH:mm:ss')	2015-06-17T00:23:19Z
$zoned_date_time_object.toWindows	-	String	user.created.toWindows()	"130827743120000000"
$zoned_date_time_object.toUnix	-	String	DateTime.now().toUnix()	"1438363117979"
$zoned_date_time_object.toString	-	String	user.created.toString()	"2015-07-30T23:58:32Z"
$zoned_date_time_object.toString	(String dateTimeFormat)	String	user.created.toString('MM/dd/yyyy')	"07/30/2015"
$zoned_date_time_object.toZone	(String zoneId)	ZonedDateTime	Time.now().toZone('Asia/Tokyo')	2015-08-01T02:18:37.979+09:00[Asia/Tokyo]
$zoned_date_time_object.plusDays	(int days)	ZonedDateTime	user.created.plusDays(2)	2015-08-01T23:58:32.000Z
$zoned_date_time_object.plusHours	(int hours)	ZonedDateTime	user.created.plusHours(-1)	2015-07-30T22:58:32.000Z
$zoned_date_time_object.plusMinutes	(int minutes)	ZonedDateTime	user.created.plusMinutes(0)	2015-07-30T23:58:32.000Z
$zoned_date_time_object.plusSeconds	(int seconds)	ZonedDateTime	user.created.plusSeconds(0)	2015-07-30T23:58:32.000Z
$zoned_date_time_object.minusDays	(int days)	ZonedDateTime	Time.now().minusDays(3)	2015-07-28T17:18:37.979Z
$zoned_date_time_object.minusHours	(int hours)	ZonedDateTime	Time.now().minusHours(100)	2015-07-27T13:18:37.979Z
$zoned_date_time_object.minusMinutes	(int minutes)	ZonedDateTime	Time.now().minusMinutes(-1)	2015-07-31T17:19:37.979Z
$zoned_date_time_object.minusSeconds	(int seconds)	ZonedDateTime	Time.now().minusSeconds(2)	2015-07-31T17:18:35.979Z
$zoned_date_time_object.withinDays	(int days)	Boolean	user.created.withinDays(1)	True
$zoned_date_time_object.withinHours	(int hours)	Boolean	user.created.withinHours(100)	True
$zoned_date_time_object.withinMinutes	(int minutes)	Boolean	user.created.withinMinutes(2)	False
$zoned_date_time_object.withinSeconds	(int seconds)	Boolean	user.created.withinSeconds(100)	False

Note: Okta supports the use of the time zone IDs and aliases listed in the Time Zone Codes table.

Constants and operators

Common Action	Example
Refer to a String constant	'Hello world'
Refer to a Integer constant	1234
Refer to a Number constant	3.141
Refer to a Boolean constant	true
Concatenate two strings	user.profile.firstName + user.profile.lastName

Conditional expressions

The following rules apply to conditional expressions:

• Expressions must have valid syntax.
• Expressions must evaluate to Boolean.
• Expressions can't contain an assignment operator, such as =.
• User properties referenced in an expression must exist.

The following functions are supported in conditions:

• Any Okta Expression Language function
• The && operator to designate AND
• The || operator to designate OR
• The ! operator to designate NOT
• Standard relational operators including <, >, <=, and >=

Note: Use the double equals sign == to check for equality and != for inequality.

Examples

Expression	Output
user.profile.country == "United States"	True
user.profile.intArray.contains(0)	False
user.profile.isContractor || user.created.withinSeconds(0)	False

You can use the ternary operator for performing IF, THEN, ELSE conditional logic inside the expression.

The format for a ternary conditional expression is: [Condition] ? [Value if TRUE] : [Value if FALSE]

Examples

If the middle initial isn't empty, include it as part of the full name using just the first character and appending a period.
user.profile.firstName + " " + (user.profile.middleInitial.length() == 0 ? "" : (user.profile.middleInitial.substring(0, 1) + ". ")) + user.profile.lastName

If the user is a contractor and is a member of the "West Coast Users" user group, output "West coast contractors", else output "Others".
user.profile.isContractor && user.isMemberOf({'group.profile.name': 'West Coast Users'}) ? "West coast contractors" : "Others"