Identity Provider

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 In today’s digital landscape, seamless user authentication across platforms is a critical requirement for businesses. Organizations often rely on hybrid IT environments, combining on-premises solutions like ForgeRock with cloud-based services such as Google Workspace. Federated identity authentication (IdP mode) enables users to authenticate once and access multiple services, improving user experience and streamlining IT operations. This blog post explores how to implement federated identity authentication using ForgeRock as the Identity Provider (IdP) and Google Workspace as the Service Provider (SP). ...

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. ...

Introduction When configuring Okta as an identity provider (IdP) for your application, encountering the error message “The issuer is invalid” can be frustrating. This issue often arises during Single Sign-On (SSO) or OpenID Connect (OIDC) integration, where the service provider (SP) or relying party (RP) fails to validate the issuer URL provided by Okta. In this blog post, we’ll explore the root causes of this error, provide a step-by-step troubleshooting ideas, and offer best practices to ensure smooth integration. ...

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 ForgeRock Access Management (AM) offers robust support for SAML 2.0, enabling organizations to implement secure Single Sign-On (SSO) across trusted domains. In a SAML setup, the Identity Provider (IDP) authenticates users and issues SAML assertions, while the Service Provider (SP) consumes those assertions to grant access. This blog will guide you step-by-step through setting up both IDP and SP roles using ForgeRock AM. 🔐🌍 ...

I’ve configured SAML SSO for 30+ Spring Boot applications. The setup looks simple in docs, but production always throws curveballs - certificate mismatches, signature validation failures, attribute mapping issues. Here’s what actually works. 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 Why This Matters SAML SSO lets you delegate authentication to enterprise Identity Providers (Okta, Azure AD, Ping Identity, ForgeRock). Your app doesn’t store passwords, users get single sign-on, and security teams stay happy. ...

Single Sign-On (SSO) using SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) simplifies user authentication by allowing seamless access to multiple applications with a single login. ForgeRock, a leading identity and access management (IAM) platform, provides robust support for SAML-based SSO. This guide covers configuring ForgeRock as an Identity Provider (IdP), uploading Service Provider (SP) metadata, selecting the appropriate NameID format, and demonstrating the authentication flow with HTTP Archive (HAR) captures. 1. Provider Configuration ForgeRock as an Identity Provider (IdP) To set up ForgeRock as an IdP for SAML SSO: ...

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 a widely adopted standard for Single Sign-On (SSO) in enterprise identity federation. Just as SAML SSO simplifies user authentication across multiple systems, SAML Single Logout (SLO) provides a standardized way to terminate sessions across those same systems. Let’s explore how it works and the critical differences between redirect vs POST bindings, SP-initiated vs IdP-initiated logout, and the essential role of the Session Index. ...

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 an XML-based open standard used for exchanging authentication and authorization data between different security domains. SAML is most commonly used in Single Sign-On (SSO) scenarios, allowing users to access multiple applications or services without the need to log in repeatedly. It has become a critical technology for enabling secure identity management across web-based applications, particularly in enterprise environments and cloud services. ...