Documentation for creating a Custom Credential Provider in Windows

Question

Where is the documentation on creating a custom Windows Credential Provider located? Everything I've found so far points to the same article on how to make a custom credential provider (MSDN Magazine: "Create Custom Login Experiences With Credential Providers For Windows Vista"), but neither that article nor anything else I can find provides documentation on how things actually work. At best there are some code samples, but those don't explain the full mechanics of credential providers or usefully show how to roll your own.

Cynthia

And how about for a Credential Provider Filter? Can't find anything on THAT either! – Cynthia

I feel your pain. I found this if it helps you at all... – Mcbride

I just sent an email to the Microsoft address that I've seen most places regarding this, namely, [email protected] - Here's the response... "The following recipient(s) could not be reached: [email protected] on 16/10/2012 15:09 The destination server for this recipient could not be found in Domain Name Service (DNS). Please verify the email address and retry. If that fails, contact your administrator." MARVELLOUS!! – Plath

This is probably the most help that I've found on the topic of Credential Providers online: http://blogs.technet.com/b/aho/archive/2009/11/15/custom-credential-provider-for-password-reset.aspx Hope this helps you as much as it has helped me. – Plath

I wanted to implement a credential provider, and ended up almost without any documentation on how to build, and whats its what. So I make my call to make a good code sample, links to info, a library with a step by step guide and so on. its still WIP and support will be welcome. The link: github.com/DavidWeiss2/windows-Credential-Provider-library/blob/… – Ostwald

Answer 1

There is now a proper documentation here. It contains everything you should know when developing custom credential providers.

Amerigo

The third link is broken. – Labial

Thanks. Unfortunately this link was the only one linking to the mentioned document. I edited my answer accordingly. – Amerigo

Yes, I have yet to find an actual copy of this doc due to the same broken link being everywhere. Thanks. – Labial

Link is still broken. – Entasis

No, it's not? I could download the documentation from there just now. – Amerigo

Link is still broken for me. – Turning

What about this? microsoft.com/en-us/download/confirmation.aspx?id=53556 – Amerigo

Answer 2

In an article on Windows Vista Smart Card Infrastructure, there is a link to Credential Provider Technical Reference (link to Credential Provider Technical Reference on archive.msdn.microsoft.com). The list contains a document which describes the Windows Vista Credential Provider Framework. I think you will find this technical reference quite helpful in understanding how Credential Provider in Windows works.

Hope you find what you are looking for!

Gyniatrics

Link is broken. – Entasis

Answer 3

In the Windows SDK, there is a Credential Provider code example in the Samples\security folder. There is also documentation (in MHTML format) for the example, contained in the SDK files. In the latest Windows SDK, the Credential Provider example has been updated to be suitable for Windows 7, says the document.

Strangely, the documentation doesn't seem to be available online anywhere. It's just there in the SDK docs.

Please note that Microsoft Windows SDK is something that you need to separately install, even if you already have Visual Studio installed.

Twosided

Answer 4

Welcome to the beautiful world of Windows 10.

Microsoft have actually updated the documentation a tiny little bit for Windows 10, there is this page, and at the bottom, it links to the technical reference for credentail providers with updates for Windows 10. Which has (at the time of writing this) a big disclaimer at the top that it is only pre-release information and accuracy is not guaranteed. For example, at the bottom of the reference is still the e-mail address [email protected] which has apparently been invalid for a long time already.

The most recent source code example is the open-source C# wrapper pgina which may help illustrate how to use this CredentialProvider API.

Skinflint

Thanks for adding to this post, since this is still a relevant question beyond Windows 7. Any idea if there's a new email address? – Labial

Answer 5

This MSMVP How-To looks pretty helpful up to Windows 7 and points you to some documentation. And this MSDN V2 Credential Provider sample includes changes for Windows 8/8.1. Seems like a good place to start.

Labial

unfortuanately, both links are now down – Unsettled

Links updated to use Wayback Machine – Labial

working repo on windows 10 and 11 here github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/windows-credentials-provider – Unsettled