kerberos/README.md

Kerberos Server

MIT Kerberos V KDC + admin server container running on Ubuntu 26.04.

Prerequisites

DNS setup

Kerberos is sensitive to hostname resolution. The following DNS records must be in place before starting the container.

Forward record — resolves the KDC hostname to its IP address:

krb5.example.org.                IN  A               192.168.1.10
_kerberos._tcp.example.org.      IN  SRV  1  0  88   krb5.example.org.
_kerberos._udp.example.org.      IN  SRV  1  0  88   krb5.example.org.
_kerberos-adm._tcp.example.org.  IN  SRV  1  0  749  krb5.example.org.
_kpasswd._udp.example.org.       IN  SRV  1  0  464  krb5.example.org.

Reverse record — resolves the IP back to the hostname (required by some Kerberos operations):

10.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa.  IN  PTR  krb5.example.org.

The container's hostname must match KRB5_KDC_HOST exactly — it is set via the hostname: field in the compose file.

Note: DNS-based KDC discovery (SRV records) is disabled for the server container in the generated configuration (dns_lookup_kdc = false), however it is required for clients to locate the KDC. The KDC hostname must be resolvable by clients via DNS or a local hosts file entry.

Environment variables

Variable	Default	Description
KRB5_REALM	EXAMPLE.ORG	Kerberos realm (uppercase)
KRB5_DOMAIN	example.org	DNS domain mapped to the realm
KRB5_KDC_HOST	(required)	FQDN of this KDC, used by clients and in service ticket names
KRB5_MASTER_PASSWORD	(required on first start)	Database master key — set once, cannot be changed without destroying the database
KRB5_ADMIN_PRINCIPAL	admin	Name of the bootstrap admin principal
KRB5_ADMIN_PASSWORD	(required on first start)	Password for <admin>@<REALM>

Copy env.example to ~/app-data/kerberos/kerberos.env and fill in real values before first run.

Admin principal naming

By default the bootstrap principal is created as admin@REALM — a flat, UPN-style name. This is the value of KRB5_ADMIN_PRINCIPAL used verbatim.

MIT Kerberos also supports the traditional primary/instance convention, where the /admin instance signals administrative intent. If you prefer that style, set the full name in the variable:

KRB5_ADMIN_PRINCIPAL=slawek/admin

This creates slawek/admin@REALM and grants it full kadmin rights via the ACL. Either form works — it is purely a naming preference.

Important: KRB5_MASTER_PASSWORD and KRB5_ADMIN_PASSWORD are only required on first start. Once the realm is initialised (the database file exists in the volume), these variables are not read and can be removed from the env file for enhanced security. The master password cannot be changed without wiping the kerberos_data volume and reinitialising the realm, which invalidates all issued tickets and keytabs.

Build

./scripts/build.sh

Run

./scripts/run-container.sh

The kerberos_data volume (/var/lib/krb5kdc) holds the realm database, configuration, and keytab. All files are written once on first start. On subsequent starts the container requires no environment variables — the persisted configuration is used as-is. Sensitive variables (KRB5_MASTER_PASSWORD, KRB5_ADMIN_PASSWORD) can be removed from the env file after the realm is initialised.

Ports

Port	Protocol	Service
88	TCP/UDP	KDC (ticket granting)
464	TCP/UDP	kpasswd (password changes)
749	TCP	kadmin (remote administration)

Client configuration

Pre-authentication is required (+preauth is set by default), so clients must supply a password or keytab — anonymous TGT requests are rejected.

The KDC hostname (KRB5_KDC_HOST) must be resolvable from every client machine via DNS or a local hosts file entry.

Linux

Install the MIT Kerberos client tools:

sudo apt install krb5-user        # Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dnf install krb5-workstation # Fedora / RHEL

Create /etc/krb5.conf:

[libdefaults]
    default_realm = EXAMPLE.ORG

[realms]
    EXAMPLE.ORG = {
        kdc = kerberos.example.org
        admin_server = kerberos.example.org
    }

[domain_realm]
    .example.org = EXAMPLE.ORG
    example.org = EXAMPLE.ORG

kinit user@EXAMPLE.ORG   # obtain a ticket
klist                     # verify
kdestroy                  # release

macOS

Kerberos (Heimdal) is built into macOS — no installation required. It is interoperable with MIT KDCs.

Create /etc/krb5.conf with the same content as the Linux example above.

kinit user@EXAMPLE.ORG
klist
kdestroy

Acquired tickets are also visible in Ticket Viewer (/System/Library/CoreServices/Ticket Viewer.app).

For SSH with GSSAPI, add to ~/.ssh/config:

Host *.example.org
    GSSAPIAuthentication yes
    GSSAPIDelegateCredentials yes

Windows (standalone, not domain-joined)

Install MIT Kerberos for Windows (KfW) from web.mit.edu/kerberos/dist. The built-in Windows Kerberos provider (SSPI) is designed for Active Directory domain membership and is not suitable for standalone use against a custom KDC.

Create the configuration file at %ProgramData%\MIT\Kerberos5\krb5.ini (system-wide) or set the KRB5_CONFIG environment variable to point to a file of your choice:

[libdefaults]
    default_realm = EXAMPLE.ORG

[realms]
    EXAMPLE.ORG = {
        kdc = kerberos.example.org
        admin_server = kerberos.example.org
    }

[domain_realm]
    .example.org = EXAMPLE.ORG
    example.org = EXAMPLE.ORG

Use the KfW Network Identity Manager GUI or the bundled command-line tools from a Command Prompt:

kinit user@EXAMPLE.ORG
klist
kdestroy

Managing principals

Remote (kadmin)

kadmin connects to kadmind on port 749 from any machine with a valid krb5.conf. Authenticate as a principal with rights in kadm5.acl:

kadmin -p admin@REALM

With a keytab instead of a password prompt:

kadmin -p admin@REALM -k -t /path/to/admin.keytab

All commands below work identically in kadmin — replace kadmin.local with kadmin -p admin@REALM.

Local (kadmin.local)

Exec into the running container — no authentication required, bypasses kadmind entirely:

container exec -it kerberos bash

Principals

# List all principals (supports glob: "user*")
kadmin.local -q "listprincs"

# Inspect a principal
kadmin.local -q "getprinc user@REALM"

# Add a user principal
kadmin.local -q "addprinc user@REALM"

# Add a service principal (random key, no password)
kadmin.local -q "addprinc -randkey service/host.example.org@REALM"

# Change password
kadmin.local -q "cpw -pw newpassword user@REALM"

# Randomise key (invalidates existing tickets and keytabs)
kadmin.local -q "cpw -randkey service/host.example.org@REALM"

# Set expiry
kadmin.local -q "modprinc -expire '2027-01-01' user@REALM"

# Unlock after failed authentication lockout
kadmin.local -q "modprinc -unlock user@REALM"

# Delete a principal
kadmin.local -q "delprinc user@REALM"

Keytabs

# Extract keytab (randomises the principal's key)
kadmin.local -q "ktadd -k /tmp/service.keytab service/host.example.org@REALM"

# Extract without randomising key (-norandkey, preserves existing tickets)
kadmin.local -q "ktadd -k /tmp/service.keytab -norandkey service/host.example.org@REALM"

# Remove keytab entries for a principal
kadmin.local -q "ktremove -k /tmp/service.keytab service/host.example.org@REALM all"

Password policies

# Create a policy
kadmin.local -q "addpol -minlength 12 -minclasses 3 -maxlife '90 days' -maxfailure 5 default"

# Assign policy to a principal
kadmin.local -q "modprinc -policy default user@REALM"

# Inspect a policy
kadmin.local -q "getpol default"

# List policies
kadmin.local -q "listpols"

# Delete a policy (fails if any principal uses it)
kadmin.local -q "delpol default"

SSH server configuration

SSH uses the host/ service principal. The FQDN must match the result of forward DNS resolution of the server's hostname, and the IP must reverse-resolve to the same FQDN.

Linux

Create the host principal and extract the keytab to the default location:

kadmin -p admin@REALM -q "addprinc -randkey host/ssh-server.example.org@REALM"
kadmin -p admin@REALM -q "ktadd host/ssh-server.example.org@REALM"

The keytab is written to /etc/krb5.keytab (mode 0600, owned by root). Add to /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

GSSAPIAuthentication yes
GSSAPICleanupCredentials yes
GSSAPIStrictAcceptorCheck yes

GSSAPIStrictAcceptorCheck verifies the server's identity against the keytab — keep it enabled. Reload sshd after the change.

Login authorisation — by default a principal is granted access if its realm matches default_realm and its name matches the local account. To grant additional principals access to an account, list them in ~/.k5login (one principal per line):

alice@EXAMPLE.ORG
alice/admin@EXAMPLE.ORG

If .k5login is present it is authoritative — unlisted principals are denied even if the name matches. To make it additive rather than restrictive, set in krb5.conf:

[libdefaults]
    k5login_authoritative = false

Windows

GSSAPIAuthentication is available on Windows Server 2022, 2025, Windows 10 (May 2021 Update), and Windows 11 only. Windows Server 2019 does not support it.

Install MIT Kerberos for Windows (KfW) on the SSH server — Windows OpenSSH uses it for GSSAPI when the machine is not domain-joined. Create the host principal and extract a keytab:

kadmin -p admin@REALM -q "addprinc -randkey host/win-server.example.org@REALM"
kadmin -p admin@REALM -q "ktadd -k /tmp/win-server.keytab host/win-server.example.org@REALM"

Copy the keytab to the Windows server and set KRB5_KTNAME in the system environment to its path, or place it at the KfW default (%ProgramData%\MIT\Kerberos5\krb5.keytab).

Add to %ProgramData%\ssh\sshd_config:

GSSAPIAuthentication yes

The following directives are not available on Windows OpenSSH and must not be added: GSSAPICleanupCredentials, GSSAPIStrictAcceptorCheck, KerberosAuthentication, KerberosTicketCleanup.

Restart the sshd service after the change:

Restart-Service sshd

OpenLDAP SASL/GSSAPI integration

1. Create the LDAP service principal and extract a keytab:

   kadmin.local -q "addprinc -randkey ldap/ldap.example.org@REALM"
   kadmin.local -q "ktadd -k /tmp/ldap.keytab ldap/ldap.example.org@REALM"
   

2. Copy the keytab into the OpenLDAP container at /etc/ldap/ldap.keytab.
3. Set KRB5_KTNAME=/etc/ldap/ldap.keytab in the OpenLDAP container environment.
4. Install libsasl2-modules-gssapi-mit in the OpenLDAP image and enable the GSSAPI SASL mechanism.