realmspecific

Realmspecific is an adjective used to describe elements that are defined, configured, or constrained within a single realm, a logical or administrative boundary used to partition resources, identities, or data within a system. The term emphasizes scope and isolation, indicating that the item applies only within that particular realm and not across others.

In identity and access management, a realm defines the scope for authentication and authorization. For example, in Kerberos, a realm represents an administrative domain with its own user accounts and policies. In modern IAM systems and single sign-on implementations, realms (or their equivalents) segment users, applications, and policies so that credentials, roles, and authentication flows are scoped to a specific realm. Realm-specific settings can include login methods, password policies, and branding such as themes.

Realm-specific data isolation is a common consideration in multi-tenant architectures. Each realm may have its own users, roles, permissions, configurations, and even data stores or schemas. This isolation helps enforce privacy and security boundaries while enabling per-realm customization. Cross-realm access is typically controlled and auditable, often requiring explicit authorization or routing through shared services.

Implementation considerations include clearly defining realm boundaries, enforcing boundary-guarding policies in security middleware, and planning lifecycle management for realms (provisioning, renaming, retiring). Realmspecific design can improve security, scalability, and autonomy but may introduce complexity in data integration, reporting, and maintenance.

See also: multi-tenancy, identity and access management, Kerberos, OpenID Connect, Keycloak.