What is Identity Federation?
A system that allows users to use a single identity across multiple organizations without each organization managing separate credentials.
Identity federation links a user's identity across multiple systems, so one login works everywhere.
Examples
- "Sign in with Google" on third-party websites
- Enterprise users accessing partner company resources
- Government digital identity systems
Privacy Trade-offs
- Convenience: One strong credential instead of many weak ones
- Risk: The identity provider becomes a single point of failure
- Tracking: The IdP knows every service you access
- Data sharing: Attributes (name, email, groups) may be shared with services
Self-Sovereign Identity
An emerging alternative where you control your own identity credentials (stored in a wallet on your device) and share only what's needed with each service. No central identity provider needed.
Related Terms
OAuth
An open standard for authorization that allows users to grant third-party applications limited access to their accounts without sharing passwords. OAuth powers 'Login with Google/Facebook' buttons and API access delegation.
SAML
An XML-based standard for exchanging authentication data between an identity provider and a service provider, commonly used in enterprise single sign-on.
Single Sign-On
An authentication method allowing users to access multiple applications with one set of credentials. While convenient for users and administrators, SSO creates a single point of failure—compromise one account, compromise them all.
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