What is the difference between IdP and SP? Employees of today use several applications daily and not all employees have the time or brain capacity to memorize hundreds of passwords.

What is the Difference Between IdP and SP? 2 Basic Differences

With solitary sign-on (SSO), or single sign-on models, users can quickly log in and reduce mental strain by connecting to web apps, file sharing platforms, and cloud services using just one set of credentials.

SSO is perfect for administrators as well, as it reduces their backlog of support tickets and increases their visibility and management.

However, organizations considering SSO implementation are likely to encounter two approaches: service provider-initiated SSO and identity-initiated SSO.

We will go over the definitions, benefits, and differences of each of those phrases to help you choose the best SSO strategy for your business.

What is IdP-Initiated SSO?

Before we answer the question “what is the difference between IdP and SP?” you need to know this.

In plain terms, identity provider-initiated single sign-on employs an identity-as-a-service provider (IdP) to validate an authenticated user’s access to an application.

Identity providers are used by organizations to authenticate users and store user credentials for users attempting to access the network.

Many identity providers are OpenLDAP or Microsoft Active Directory implementations, or a cloud based IdP like JumpCloud.

Users click on the desired application after navigating to the company’s identity provider via IdP-initiated SSO.

To make sure the end user has the right access privileges, the identity provider requests SAML authentication from the service provider in the background.

The user can log into the application and begin their session if the provider accepts the SAML answer.

What is SP-Initiated SSO?

This situation is reversed with service provider initiated SSO, where a service provider asks an identity provider for authentication in order to verify an authenticated user’s access to an application.

An application will send a request to the company’s identity provider when a user tries to log in.

The user can log in when the identity provider verifies their identity and access level, sends a SAML response and assertion to the service provider, and confirms their identity.

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What is the Difference Between IdP and SP?

We are about to learn about what distinguishes SP-Initiated SSO from IdP-Initiated SSO.

Where users begin the login procedure is where IdP-initiated SSO and SP-initiated SSO differ most from one another.

While SP-initiated login requests begin in the application users wish to access, IdP-initiated login requests begin in the identity provider.

The appearance of an IdP-initiated login is as follows:

  • At the identity provider, a user logs in.
  • The user clicks on the programme they want to access in the IP catalogue.
  • The identity provider condenses the user’s access, identity, and relevant data into an XML-based SAML assertion.
  • Via the user’s browser, the identity provider transmits a secure reference to the SAML assertion to the service provider.
  • After reviewing the claim, the service provider declares it to be true.
  • After logging into the programme, the user is ready to go to work.

An example of an SP-initiated login might be as follows:

  • When a user is not authenticated, they visit the application’s login page.
  • The service provider redirects the user to the identity provider.
  • An SAML assertion is created by the identity provider and forwarded to the service provider.
  • The statement is accepted by the service provider.
  • After logging into the programme, the user is ready to go to work.

Each of the SSO beginning methods has advantages and disadvantages. Let’s quickly look at them.

Pros and Cons of IdP-Initiated SSO

Pros and Cons of IdP-Initiated SSO

Pros

  • IdP is highly adaptable, so IT teams can configure it to match their individual use cases.
  • IdP is a required solution because some service providers are unable to send out SAML requests.

Cons

  • Man-in-the-middle attacks, in which the attacker either intercepts or steals the SAML assertion, can be used against IdP-initiated SSO.
  • Within a service provider, IdP-initiated SSO may occasionally replace already-existing sessions.

Pros and Cons of SP-Initiated SSO

Pros

  • Instead of first logging into an identity provider, users can start their login right from the application they wish to use.
  • Since the service provider redirects the request, SP-initiated SSO doesn’t often trigger session overwriting.

Cons

  • SAML requests cannot be issued by some service providers.
  • If there is a problem with the service provider, troubleshooting SP-initiated SSO could be more difficult.

Now, it is simple. You now have the answer to the question “What is the difference between IdP and SP?”