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Enterprise single sign-on (SSO) lets an organization authenticate people through a central identity provider (IdP) for multiple applications. When you open an app, it can send your browser to the IdP; after the IdP verifies you and applies its policies, it returns identity information the app can validate. The app then creates its own session. If you already have an active IdP session, you may not need to enter credentials again—but SSO does not guarantee uninterrupted access to every app.
What happens during an SSO sign-in?
An administrator first connects an application to the organization’s IdP. The systems must agree on a protocol, endpoints, and the identity claims the app needs. SAML integrations commonly use federation metadata and configured reply addresses; OIDC integrations use tenant-specific endpoints and redirect URIs. Microsoft outlines these integration patterns in its overview of Microsoft’s SSO model.
- You open the application. In a service-provider-initiated flow, the app sends your browser to the IdP to request sign-in. The service provider (SP) is the application relying on the IdP’s identity information.
- The IdP authenticates you. Depending on organizational setup and policy, this may involve a password, multifactor authentication (MFA), or a passwordless method.
- The IdP applies access policy. It may check conditions such as whether MFA is required, or deny access under the organization’s rules.
- The IdP sends a response. With SAML, that response includes an XML assertion. With OIDC, identity claims are conveyed in JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) in an OAuth-based flow.
- The app validates the response and creates a session. If the response is valid and the app accepts the identity and relevant claims, the app establishes its own session.
The app does not simply accept any response that says who you are. Its configuration determines which IdP it trusts and which claims it expects. Microsoft’s SSO requirements for Microsoft Entra App Gallery identify SAML checks that include the signing certificate and its validity, issuer, audience, and required claims.
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Why SSO does not mean one password or one shared session
SSO centralizes authentication; it does not make every application share a password or a single session. The IdP establishes or conveys identity, while each application must accept the configured trust and decide what the user’s claims or entitlements permit. Administrators configure the federation and claims mapping that connect the IdP and app. Microsoft describes the distinction in its SAML protocol reference.
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An active IdP session can mean that opening another app does not trigger another credential prompt. That does not ensure access: an app may require a separate session, a policy may prompt for more authentication, or the user may lack an assignment or required entitlement. An expired session, a missing app assignment, or an integration mismatch can also interrupt sign-in. The IdP and each application continue to enforce their configured rules.
SAML and OIDC: how the two common protocols differ
SAML 2.0 is a mature federation protocol that exchanges XML assertions and protocol messages. OpenID Connect (OIDC) is a sign-in protocol built on OAuth 2.0 and uses JWTs to convey identity claims. Microsoft characterizes SAML as common in existing or legacy enterprise web apps and OIDC as a fit for new web, mobile, and single-page applications; these are practical tendencies, not rules that require every organization to replace SAML. See Microsoft’s SAML versus OIDC decision guide and SSO integration planning guidance.
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| Decision area | SAML 2.0 | OIDC |
|---|---|---|
| Identity format | XML assertions and protocol messages. Microsoft describes SAML as an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between an IdP and service provider. See Microsoft’s SAML authentication documentation. | JWTs in OAuth 2.0-based flows. See Microsoft’s protocol decision guide. |
| Common fit | Existing or legacy enterprise web applications; detailed attribute statements can be supported. | New web, mobile, and single-page applications. |
| Integration details | Plan for assertion attributes, metadata, signing certificate, and issuer and audience validation. | Plan for redirect URIs, scopes and claims mapping, and the appropriate OIDC/OAuth flow. Microsoft’s App Gallery requirements call for authorization code flow. |
Choose based on the target app’s supported protocols, application type, IdP and developer-framework support, customer or procurement requirements, and migration cost. A modern app can use OIDC while a legacy app continues to use SAML. Microsoft recommends OIDC as the default for new development while describing SAML as acceptable for legacy enterprise applications in its integration planning guidance.
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- Trust and endpoints: Make sure the IdP and app use compatible settings. SAML commonly relies on exchanged metadata and federation details; OIDC uses discovery metadata and tenant-scoped endpoints.
- Claims: Send only the identity information and attributes the app needs. SAML commonly uses assertion attributes and NameID; OIDC uses scopes and claims mapping.
- Response validation: For SAML, validate the signature and certificate, certificate validity, issuer, audience, and required claims before trusting the assertion.
- Access policy: Configure MFA and conditional access at the identity platform. A policy can require further authentication, permit access under specified conditions, or block it before the IdP issues an assertion or token.
- Assignments and provisioning: Configure application settings and user assignments in the IdP, and account for any provisioning the app requires. An SSO connection alone does not prove a user is assigned or provisioned in the target app.
- Flow initiation: In SP-initiated SAML, sign-in starts at the app. Microsoft also documents IdP-initiated SAML, in which a user starts from an IdP portal and is sent to the app with an assertion.
Where MFA and security keys fit
MFA is not a separate SSO protocol. It is one possible authentication requirement the IdP applies before issuing identity information. A FIDO2 security key is an optional physical authenticator for supported passwordless deployments; it is not required for SAML or OIDC SSO. Microsoft says these keys use device-bound passkeys whose private key does not leave the key. Compatibility depends on organizational configuration, supported devices, approved models, and enrollment policy. See Microsoft’s FIDO2 security key sign-in guidance and hybrid deployment FAQs.
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