Identity Federation

The choice between SAML and OIDC can feel like navigating a dense forest of acronyms and specifications. Both protocols aim to solve the problem of single sign-on (SSO) and secure authentication, but they do so in different ways. This post aims to clear up the confusion by diving into practical scenarios where each protocol shines. The Problem: Navigating Identity Federation Imagine you’re building a platform that needs to integrate with multiple identity providers (IdPs). You need a way to authenticate users without managing their passwords directly. Enter SAML and OIDC. These protocols provide a standardized way to handle authentication and authorization, but choosing the right one depends on your specific use case. ...

Visual Overview: sequenceDiagram participant User participant App as Client App participant AuthServer as Authorization Server participant Resource as Resource Server User->>App: 1. Click Login App->>AuthServer: 2. Authorization Request AuthServer->>User: 3. Login Page User->>AuthServer: 4. Authenticate AuthServer->>App: 5. Authorization Code App->>AuthServer: 6. Exchange Code for Token AuthServer->>App: 7. Access Token + Refresh Token App->>Resource: 8. API Request with Token Resource->>App: 9. Protected Resource As enterprises increasingly adopt multi-cloud architectures, managing identity and access consistently across diverse cloud platforms becomes a critical challenge. Building a unified identity strategy ensures secure, seamless user experiences and centralized control over access policies. ...

Visual Overview: sequenceDiagram participant User participant SP as Service Provider participant IdP as Identity Provider User->>SP: 1. Access Protected Resource SP->>User: 2. Redirect to IdP (SAML Request) User->>IdP: 3. SAML AuthnRequest IdP->>User: 4. Login Page User->>IdP: 5. Authenticate IdP->>User: 6. SAML Response (Assertion) User->>SP: 7. POST SAML Response SP->>SP: 8. Validate Assertion SP->>User: 9. Grant Access Single Sign-On (SSO) is a cornerstone of modern identity management, enabling seamless access to multiple applications with a single login. However, for many organizations, the promise of SSO often falls short when users are repeatedly redirected to the login page. This frustrating experience is frequently caused by misconfigured SAML cookies. In this article, we’ll dive into the technical details of why this happens, how to diagnose the issue, and how to resolve it to ensure a smooth SSO experience. ...

Visual Overview: sequenceDiagram participant User participant SP as Service Provider participant IdP as Identity Provider User->>SP: 1. Access Protected Resource SP->>User: 2. Redirect to IdP (SAML Request) User->>IdP: 3. SAML AuthnRequest IdP->>User: 4. Login Page User->>IdP: 5. Authenticate IdP->>User: 6. SAML Response (Assertion) User->>SP: 7. POST SAML Response SP->>SP: 8. Validate Assertion SP->>User: 9. Grant Access Modern enterprises face growing challenges in managing user identities across diverse systems, cloud platforms, and applications. To streamline access and bolster security, organizations are increasingly adopting enterprise-grade identity federation and single sign-on (SSO) solutions. This article explores the business value of identity federation, compares PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud and Microsoft Entra ID, and offers a practical guide for cross-platform SSO integration while enhancing security with OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect. ...

Visual Overview: sequenceDiagram participant User participant SP as Service Provider participant IdP as Identity Provider User->>SP: 1. Access Protected Resource SP->>User: 2. Redirect to IdP (SAML Request) User->>IdP: 3. SAML AuthnRequest IdP->>User: 4. Login Page User->>IdP: 5. Authenticate IdP->>User: 6. SAML Response (Assertion) User->>SP: 7. POST SAML Response SP->>SP: 8. Validate Assertion SP->>User: 9. Grant Access SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is widely used for enterprise Single Sign-On (SSO). It defines how identity providers (IdPs) and service providers (SPs) exchange authentication information using signed XML messages. However, integrating SAML in real-world environments — especially using platforms like ForgeRock AM — can surface tricky and non-obvious issues. Below are five common pitfalls based on practical experience, along with how to avoid them. 🚧 ...

Visual Overview: sequenceDiagram participant User participant SP as Service Provider participant IdP as Identity Provider User->>SP: 1. Access Protected Resource SP->>User: 2. Redirect to IdP (SAML Request) User->>IdP: 3. SAML AuthnRequest IdP->>User: 4. Login Page User->>IdP: 5. Authenticate IdP->>User: 6. SAML Response (Assertion) User->>SP: 7. POST SAML Response SP->>SP: 8. Validate Assertion SP->>User: 9. Grant Access Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is a cornerstone protocol in modern federated identity and Single Sign-On (SSO) architectures. While it greatly simplifies the login experience for users, debugging issues with SAML responses can be complex due to cryptographic signatures, strict protocol compliance, and encoding formats. This blog post walks through essential techniques to effectively debug and troubleshoot SAML responses, along with recommended tools and common errors. ...