You are an Okta admin and your boss asks you to export a CSV of users with specific attributes but he also needs all of the user's listed with the elusive Okta id. Uh Oh. (biting nails) What are you going to do?
Okta User Id
- If you are messing around with AD and or Office 365 integration with Okta, chances are you will need to access an Okta user
id. If you are in the Okta Dashboard and view a user profile you won't see it. The "id" user attribute really isn't something the average Okta user will need but if you are a developer it will be something you will need to know intimately.
If your wondering where you can find it, it's right here:
That strange string of characters highlighted in yellow in the image above is a user id. Every user in Okta has one. To see it just visit:
Admin Dashboard > Directory > People
And view the string of characters in the browser URL following the view.
Normally your Okta Admins will use something like a Powershell script but many times the Okta Admins will give us developers a call because their Powershell script no longer works.
We usually use one of the great resources provided by the Okta community. My personal favorite is the Node SDK. It's just some server side scripts that tap into the Okta API and make it super easy when trying to use "CRUD" on your Okta instance by tapping into the Okta API
CRUD in SSO (Single Sign-On)
What is CRUD?
CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update, Delete - the four basic operations for managing data in any system.
In the context of SSO and identity management, CRUD refers to user lifecycle management operations:
The Four CRUD Operations
Create
- Provision new user accounts across connected applications
- Set up initial access permissions and groups
- Generate authentication credentials
Read
- View user profiles and account information
- Check access permissions and group memberships
- Monitor authentication logs and activity
Update
- Modify user attributes (name, email, department)
- Change access permissions and role assignments
- Update group memberships
- Reset passwords or authentication methods
Delete (or Deactivate)
- Deprovision users when they leave the organization
- Remove access to all connected applications
- Archive user data for compliance
- Disable authentication credentials
Why CRUD Matters in SSO
Automated User Lifecycle: When integrated with Active Directory or HR systems, SSO platforms can automatically perform CRUD operations based on employee changes (hiring, role changes, termination).
Example Workflow
When a new employee is created in your HR system, the SSO platform automatically:
- Creates their account in all connected apps (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce)
- Reads their department/role to assign proper permissions
- Updates their access as they change roles
- Deletes all access when they leave
This is what "automated user provisioning and de-provisioning" means in identity management.
Okta offers lots of useful tools
You can also use Postman and just import any of the Okta pre-made collections to do the same thing. This is a fairly simple solution but there's one that's even easier and just as powerful and this is the one that gives you the ability to be an Okta Rockstar.
Rockstar
- If you visit Gabriel Sroka's GitHub website page you will see this unique productivity tool. Gabriel is a well respected name in the Okta community and he's kindly built this tool and given it away to anyone who wants to use it for the affordable price of FREE! It should be noted that Gabriel's last name even looks like "Okta" (if you kind of squint your eyes a little bit while your read his last name).
The coolest part of this tool is that Gabriel made it super easy to install because he made it a simple Chrome extension. All you need to use it is have an Okta instance (production or preview) a super admin Okta user access and the ability to click on the install button on the Chrome Extension page.
- After you install this extension you'll see a small "r" in your Chrome toolbar
Back to the question at hand
- Remember your boss was bugging you about that CSV stuff? You want to export users with specific attributes and their Okta user
idtoo. Don't fret. Easy peasy.
Steps to be an Okta Rockstar
- Install the Rockstar Chrome Extension
- Log into your Okta instance
- Click to access the Okta Dashboard
- You should see this in the top left of your Okta Dashboard:
- note You may need to refresh Okta to see this
- Click on Directory
- Click on People
- note The Rockstar menu will update because of the different section of Okta you are now in (nice touch Gabriel!)
- Click the
Export Userslink
- You will see
User Idand just check that checkbox (and all other user profile attribute checkboxes you want to export)
- Click the
Exportbutton.
That's it! You are now officially an Okta Rockstar. Wahoo!
The good news is you barely broke a sweat and now you're the coolest guy (or gal) in the room. What's even cooler... and you may want to sit down before I tell you that- there's more!
You are only scratching the service with Rockstar. Gabriel built the full Okta API into this Extension. Try it for yourself and if you find something even cooler we expect you to share with us.
If you have questions about Rockstar, or exporting users or AD or Office 365 or anything Okta, give us folks at Iron Cove Solutions a call. Let's be Okta Rockstars together!
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