The Differences Between OAuth, OpenID, and SAML
Other frameworks, protocols, and security technologies exist to manage authentication, authorization, and identity. Let us have a look at two others: OpenID and SAML.
If OAuth is for authorization, OpenID is for authentication. Created in 2005 to log in to LiveJournal, one of the early blogging websites, OpenID was adopted as a way to sign in with the same username and password across multiple sites.
Ironically, in a way, internet users do this anyway. When prompted to create a new username and password for a website, they often default to the same credentials they have used repeatedly with other sites. While this helps them to remember their credentials, the practice can also leave them vulnerable to cyberattacks. Physically typing credentials into a websitethat are also used for multiple other sites increases the chances of malicious actors intercepting sensitive user data.
In a man-in-the-middle attack, cyberattackers use Wi-Fi eavesdropping or session hijacking to steal credentials, in hopes to gain entry into other websites.
Eventually, the developer community lost their enthusiasm with OpenID, especially as Facebook and its soon-to-be-ubiquitous "Sign in with Facebook" capability started spreading throughout the internet. However, rather than completely retiring OpenID, the developers released a reinvented version in 2014 as an authentication layer for OAuth. With this new version, OpenID and OAuth complement each other.
The Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)is another technology often discussed in the same context as OAuth. SAML is a protocol that allows an identity provider (IdP) to forward a user's credentials to a service provider (SP) to perform both authentication and authorization for that user to access a service. SAML uses Extensible Markup Language (XML) to standardize communications between various systems.
Because open authorization only performs authorization, an SP would need an additional authentication layer, like OpenID, to perform authentication. SAML can provide single sign-on (SSO) functionality on its own.
SAML is older than the other framework protocols and because it is more often used in enterprise applications, the developer community sought to create a more lightweight and consumer-facing framework, especially as consumers increasingly access sites and applications using different endpoints, both personal and corporate. OAuth uses the more lightweight JSON open standard file format,which also performs better on mobile, for encoding data.
With all of these technologies, note that it is not an either-or scenario because businesses can use all three solutions to achieve different goals.
FAQs
OAuth, or open authorization, is a widely adopted authorization framework that allows you to consent to an application interacting with another on your behalf without having to reveal your password. It does this by providing access tokens to third-party services without exposing user credentials.
What is OAuth and how does it work with examples? ›
OAuth is an open-standard authorization protocol or framework that provides applications the ability for “secure designated access.” For example, you can tell Facebook that it's OK for ESPN.com to access your profile or post updates to your timeline without having to give ESPN your Facebook password.
What is OAuth 2.0 in layman's terms? ›
OAuth 2.0 enables the resource owner (i.e., the user) to give the client (i.e., the third-party application) access to their data without having to share their credentials. Instead, the credentials are shared with the authorization server, which issues an access token to the client.
What is the difference between OAuth and standard authentication? ›
The primary difference between these standards is that OAuth, now known as OAuth 2.0, is an authorization framework used to protect specific resources, such as applications or sets of files, while SAML and OIDC are authentication standards used to create secure sign-on experiences.
What's the difference between SAML and OAuth? ›
What Is the Difference Between SAML and OAuth? SAML is designed for authentication and authorization while OAuth was built solely for authorization. Understanding the different purposes of each is key to understanding how an access management system works.
Why do we need OAuth? ›
It allows the user to log into one app or site and then use those same credentials to sign in to other apps or sites without entering any new information. This way, OAuth authentication can be used for single sign-on across multiple services.
What problems does OAuth solve? ›
Both OAuth and OIDC are fundamentally complicated: they solve complex web security problems in a number of different environments. The OAuth and OIDC specs (and extensions) cover authentication and authorization for: Users logging into a server-side web application. Users logging into a client-side web application.
Why is a bad idea to use OAuth 2.0 for authentication? ›
The purpose of OAuth2 Tokens is to authorize requests at a first-party server (or API). If the third party uses the OAuth2 Access Token as proof of authentication, an attacker could easily impersonate a legitimate user.
What is an example of OAuth2? ›
OAuth 2.0 allows users to share specific data with an application while keeping their usernames, passwords, and other information private. For example, an application can use OAuth 2.0 to obtain permission from users to store files in their Google Drives.
What is the difference between API and OAuth2? ›
API keys can be an easy way to enforce some authentication, while OAuth is more sophisticated with more options. Here are some of the benefits of OAuth2 over the API key: Access token is tied to a specific user, not an app.
To make REST API calls to your identity domain, you need an OAuth2 access token to use for authorization. The access token provides a session (with scope and expiration), that your client application can use to perform tasks in an identity domain.
Does OAuth require username and password? ›
OAuth provides a more secure way for users to share information with trusted third-party apps without sharing their credentials (username and password). The user grants access by clicking an approve button within the app or website that wants access to the user's data.
How is OAuth better than basic authentication? ›
Enhanced Security: OAuth provides a more secure way of authenticating users or applications without exposing credentials like passwords. It uses tokens for authorization, reducing the risk of credentials being intercepted.
Which is better LDAP or SAML? ›
Use SAML if: You have a cloud-based SaaS app into which you want to control access and authorization with Single-Sign On (SSO). Use LDAP if: You are deploying software on-premise and behind a firewall and want the most straightforward authentication method, or want users to specifically access local network resources.
Are SSO and OAuth the same? ›
In summary, SSO is used for authenticating users, while OAuth is used for granting access to resources. OAuth can be used as part of an SSO solution, but it is not a replacement for SSO.
Is SAML obsolete? ›
Like OIDC, the SAML protocol is not obsolete. Various industries (such as healthcare and education) use it to securely authenticate users by enabling secure exchanges of assertions about a user's identity between an identity provider and a service provider.
What is a real life example of OAuth2? ›
A real life example
Here the Authorization Grant flow is now transferring you on the Twitter website where you are asked to enter username and password. You don't have to share your Twitter username and password with LinkedIn. You are just authorizing LinkedIn to do some stuff for you.
What is an example of access token authentication? ›
Access tokens are used in token-based authentication to allow an application to access an API. For example, a Calendar application needs access to a Calendar API in the cloud so that it can read the user's scheduled events and create new events.
