Identity Providers

An Identity Provider or IdP is a login service that manages user accounts and authenticates users. IdPs are also referred to as Digital Identity Platforms. Common IdPs include social login services such as Google or Facebook, as well as private enterprise prividers using software such as Microsoft’s Azure, Okta, or Shibboleth.

LS-Auth does not directly manage user credentials or authentication. Rather it acts as an Identity Broker, connecting client applications to one or more external IdPs. This “bring your own identity” model allows applications to rely on existing user accounts without the overhead of managing accounts and passwords.

Identity Federation and Brokering

LS-Auth delegates authentication to external IdPs, acting as an Identity Broker. LS-Auth routes login requests to IdPs and then securely relays identity information to upstream client applications. This process is known as Federation or Federated Single Sign-On (SSO).