tenants: fix base URL validation rejecting internal hostnames (cherry-pick #25560 to version-2026.8) (#25563)

tenants: fix base URL validation rejecting internal hostnames (#25560)

Co-authored-by: Emil Burzo <emil@goauthentik.io>

authentik/tenants/apps.py

@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ class AuthentikTenantsConfig(ManagedAppConfig):
         """Backfill base_url when it hasn't been set yet. Sources: AUTHENTIK_WEB__BASE_URL config
         value, then the embedded outpost's configured host. When neither is available, warn that
         the base URL must be set before it becomes required in a future release."""
+        from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
+
         from authentik.events.models import Event
         from authentik.outposts.models import Outpost
         from authentik.tenants.models import Tenant
@@ -56,6 +58,14 @@ class AuthentikTenantsConfig(ManagedAppConfig):
             outpost = Outpost.objects.filter(managed=MANAGED_OUTPOST).first()
             if outpost:
                 base_url = normalize_base_url(outpost.config.authentik_host)
+        if base_url:
+            try:
+                Tenant._meta.get_field("base_url").run_validators(base_url)
+            except ValidationError:
+                self.logger.warning(
+                    "Discarding invalid base_url", base_url=base_url, tenant=tenant.schema_name
+                )
+                base_url = ""
         if not base_url:  # No source available
             if Setup.get(tenant=tenant):  # Only nag instances that have finished setup
                 self.logger.warning("Base URL is not configured", tenant=tenant.schema_name)

authentik/tenants/migrations/0009_alter_tenant_base_url.py

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# Generated by Django 5.2.17 on 2026-08-28 14:55
+
+import authentik.lib.models
+from django.db import migrations, models
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+
+    dependencies = [
+        ("authentik_tenants", "0008_tenant_base_url"),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AlterField(
+            model_name="tenant",
+            name="base_url",
+            field=models.CharField(
+                blank=True,
+                default="",
+                help_text="Configure the base URL under which this authentik instance is reachable, e.g. https://authentik.company",
+                max_length=200,
+                validators=[
+                    authentik.lib.models.DomainlessURLValidator(
+                        message="Enter a valid URL, for example https://authentik.company",
+                        schemes=("http", "https"),
+                    )
+                ],
+            ),
+        ),
+    ]

authentik/tenants/models.py

@@ -17,7 +17,11 @@ from rest_framework.serializers import Serializer
 from structlog.stdlib import get_logger
 
 from authentik.blueprints.apps import ManagedAppConfig
-from authentik.lib.models import InternallyManagedMixin, SerializerModel
+from authentik.lib.models import (
+    DomainlessURLValidator,
+    InternallyManagedMixin,
+    SerializerModel,
+)
 from authentik.lib.utils.time import timedelta_string_validator
 
 LOGGER = get_logger()
@@ -58,9 +62,16 @@ class Tenant(InternallyManagedMixin, TenantMixin, SerializerModel):
         help_text=_("Configure how authentik should show avatars for users."),
         default="gravatar,initials",
     )
-    base_url = models.URLField(
+    base_url = models.CharField(
+        max_length=200,
         default="",
         blank=True,
+        validators=[
+            DomainlessURLValidator(
+                schemes=("http", "https"),
+                message=_("Enter a valid URL, for example https://authentik.company"),
+            )
+        ],
         help_text=_(
             "Configure the base URL under which this authentik instance is "
             "reachable, e.g. https://authentik.company"

authentik/tenants/tests/test_base_url_backfill.py

@@ -68,6 +68,21 @@ class TestBaseURLBackfill(APITestCase):
         self.tenant.refresh_from_db()
         self.assertEqual(self.tenant.base_url, "https://outpost.example.com")
 
+    @patch_flag(Setup, True)
+    @reconcile_app("authentik_outposts")
+    def test_backfill_discards_invalid_outpost_host(self):
+        """An outpost host the settings API would reject is discarded rather than written,
+        since the backfill's `.update()` skips field validation"""
+        outpost = Outpost.objects.get(managed=MANAGED_OUTPOST)
+        outpost.config = OutpostConfig(authentik_host="outpost.example.com")
+        outpost.save()
+        with capture_logs() as logs:
+            apps.get_app_config("authentik_tenants").backfill_base_url()
+        self.tenant.refresh_from_db()
+        self.assertEqual(self.tenant.base_url, "")
+        self.assertTrue(any("Discarding invalid base_url" in log.event for log in logs))
+        self.assertTrue(any("Base URL is not configured" in log.event for log in logs))
+
     def test_backfill_no_outpost(self):
         """With no embedded outpost (e.g. disable_embedded_outpost) and no config value,
         base_url is left empty and the backfill does not error"""

authentik/tenants/tests/test_base_url_settings.py

@@ -35,6 +35,43 @@ class TestBaseURLSettings(APITestCase):
         )
         self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 400)
 
+    def test_settings_accepts_internal_hostname(self):
+        """A hostname without a public-suffix shaped last label is accepted."""
+        response = self.client.patch(
+            reverse("authentik_api:tenant_settings"),
+            data={"base_url": "https://auth.svr001"},
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        self.tenant.refresh_from_db()
+        self.assertEqual(self.tenant.base_url, "https://auth.svr001")
+
+    def test_settings_saves_with_internal_hostname_stored(self):
+        """An unrelated setting can still be saved."""
+        self.tenant.base_url = "https://auth.svr001"
+        self.tenant.save()
+        current = self.client.get(reverse("authentik_api:tenant_settings")).json()
+        response = self.client.put(
+            reverse("authentik_api:tenant_settings"),
+            data={**current, "avatars": "initials"},
+            format="json",
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        self.tenant.refresh_from_db()
+        self.assertEqual(self.tenant.avatars, "initials")
+        self.assertEqual(self.tenant.base_url, "https://auth.svr001")
+
+    def test_settings_accepts_empty(self):
+        """The field can be cleared, which means no base URL is configured"""
+        self.tenant.base_url = "https://auth.svr001"
+        self.tenant.save()
+        response = self.client.patch(
+            reverse("authentik_api:tenant_settings"),
+            data={"base_url": ""},
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        self.tenant.refresh_from_db()
+        self.assertEqual(self.tenant.base_url, "")
+
     def test_settings_normalizes_trailing_slash(self):
         """A trailing slash is stripped when saving through the settings API"""
         response = self.client.patch(

authentik/tenants/tests/test_validate_base_url.py

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+"""Tests for the base_url field validators"""
+
+from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
+from django.test import SimpleTestCase
+
+from authentik.tenants.models import Tenant
+
+
+class TestValidateBaseURL(SimpleTestCase):
+    """base_url accepts an http or https URL whose host needs no domain part"""
+
+    def test_validate(self):
+        field = Tenant._meta.get_field("base_url")
+        cases = {
+            "https://authentik.company": True,
+            "http://authentik.company": True,
+            "HTTPS://authentik.company": True,
+            "https://authentik.company/authentik": True,
+            # Hostnames Django's own URLValidator rejects
+            "https://auth.svr001": True,
+            "https://auth": True,
+            "https://auth.s1": True,
+            "http://localhost:9000": True,
+            "https://192.168.1.5:9443": True,
+            "https://[fd00::1]:9443": True,
+            # Not a URL at all.
+            "authentik.company": False,
+            "//authentik.company": False,
+            "not a url": False,
+            "https://": False,
+            "http://": False,
+            # Only http and https.
+            "ftp://authentik.company": False,
+            "javascript:alert(1)": False,
+            # A host that is not a host.
+            "http:///nohost": False,
+            "https://.": False,
+            "https://auth svr001": False,
+            "https://my_host.example.com": False,
+            "https://auth.svr001\nBcc: someone@example.com": False,
+            "https://auth.svr001\tfoo": False,
+        }
+        for value, valid in cases.items():
+            with self.subTest(value=value):
+                if valid:
+                    field.run_validators(value)
+                    continue
+                with self.assertRaises(ValidationError):
+                    field.run_validators(value)

blueprints/default/flow-oobe.yaml

@@ -109,18 +109,17 @@ entries:
   model: authentik_policies_expression.expressionpolicy
 - attrs:
     expression: |
-      # Validate the base URL entered during setup
       from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
-      from django.core.validators import URLValidator
+      from authentik.tenants.models import Tenant
+      from authentik.tenants.utils import normalize_base_url
 
-      base_url = ((request.context.get("prompt_data") or {}).get("base_url") or "").strip()
-      # Empty is handled by the field's own `required` flag; only check non-empty values.
+      base_url = normalize_base_url((request.context.get("prompt_data") or {}).get("base_url"))
       if not base_url:
           return True
       try:
-          URLValidator()(base_url)
-      except ValidationError:
-          ak_message("Enter a valid URL, for example https://authentik.company")
+          Tenant._meta.get_field("base_url").run_validators(base_url)
+      except ValidationError as exc:
+          ak_message(exc.messages[0])
           return False
       return True
   id: policy-default-oobe-base-url-valid

schema.yml

@@ -53723,9 +53723,9 @@ components:
           description: Configure how authentik should show avatars for users.
         base_url:
           type: string
-          format: uri
           description: Configure the base URL under which this authentik instance
             is reachable, e.g. https://authentik.company
+          format: uri
           maxLength: 200
         default_user_change_name:
           type: boolean
@@ -58820,9 +58820,9 @@ components:
           description: Configure how authentik should show avatars for users.
         base_url:
           type: string
-          format: uri
           description: Configure the base URL under which this authentik instance
             is reachable, e.g. https://authentik.company
+          format: uri
           maxLength: 200
         default_user_change_name:
           type: boolean
@@ -58913,9 +58913,9 @@ components:
           description: Configure how authentik should show avatars for users.
         base_url:
           type: string
-          format: uri
           description: Configure the base URL under which this authentik instance
             is reachable, e.g. https://authentik.company
+          format: uri
           maxLength: 200
         default_user_change_name:
           type: boolean