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Single Sign On(SSO)

César G. Guzmán Flores's photo
César G. Guzmán Flores
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4 min read

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Single Sign-On (SSO) is a user authentication service that enables a user to access multiple applications or services using a single set of credentials. This means that a user only needs to remember one username and password, and will not be prompted to log in every time they use a different application or service. SSO is used in many organizations to provide a centralized and secure way to manage users' access to resources, reduce the time and effort it takes to log in, and improve overall security by eliminating the risk of lost or forgotten passwords.

Benefits of Single Sign-On

  1. Convenience: SSO simplifies the login process by eliminating the need for users to remember different usernames and passwords for each application or service they use.

  2. Improved security: SSO helps to improve security by reducing the risk of lost or forgotten passwords. When users only need to remember one set of credentials, it becomes less likely that they will write down their passwords or use easily guessable passwords.

  3. Increased productivity: SSO can help users to be more productive by reducing the time and effort it takes to log in to each application or service they use.

  4. Enhanced user experience: SSO provides a seamless experience for users, allowing them to switch between different applications or services without having to log in and out repeatedly.

Disadvantages of Single Sign-On

  1. Dependence on a single point of failure: SSO relies on a central authentication service that needs to be available and working at all times. If this service goes down, users will not be able to access any of the applications or services that rely on it.

  2. Security vulnerabilities: SSO can introduce security vulnerabilities if it is not properly implemented or configured. If a hacker is able to access the central authentication service, they may be able to gain access to all of the applications and services that use it.

  3. Cost: Implementing SSO can be costly, both in terms of the cost of the technology and the time and resources needed to deploy and maintain it.

Integrating Azure SSO and Spring Framework 6

Azure Single Sign-On (SSO) is a cloud-based solution provided by Microsoft that can be used to provide SSO for a variety of applications and services. The Spring Framework is a popular Java framework used to build web applications. Integration between Azure SSO and Spring Framework 6 can provide a seamless and secure way to manage users' access to resources.

To integrate Azure SSO with Spring Framework 6, you can use the Spring Security SAML extension, which provides support for SAML-based Single Sign-On. The following steps provide a high-level overview of how to set up Azure SSO and Spring Framework 6:

  1. Set up Azure SSO: Create a new Azure SSO instance, configure it with the required information, and set up the applications and services that you want to use with SSO.

  2. Add the Spring Security SAML extension to your project: You can add the Spring Security SAML extension to your project by including the following dependency in your pom.xml file:.

    <dependency> <groupId>org.springframework.security.extensions</groupId> <artifactId>spring-security-saml2-core</artifactId> <version>1.0.10.RELEASE</version>

    </dependency>

  3. Create a security configuration class: You will need to create a security configuration class that uses SAML for authentication. The following code is an example of how to do this:

    @Configuration @EnableWebSecurity

    public class SecurityConfig extends WebSecurityConfigurerAdapter {

    @Autowired private SAMLConfigurer samlConfigurer;

    @Override protected void configure(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception { http .authorizeRequests() .antMatchers("/saml/**").permitAll() .anyRequest().authenticated() .and() .apply(samlConfigurer); }

    }

  4. Create a SAML configuration class: You will need to create a SAML configuration class that integrates with Azure SSO. The following code is an example of how to do this:

    @Configuration public class SAMLConfigurer extends SAMLConfigurerAdapter {

    @Autowired private SAMLUserDetailsService samlUserDetailsServiceImpl;

    @Value("${azure.sso.entityId}") private String entityId; @Value("${azure.sso.metadataUrl}") private String metadataUrl;

    @Override public void configure(SAMLConfigurer samlConfigurer) {

    samlConfigurer.samlConfig(samlConfigurer -> { samlConfigurer.identityProviderConfig(samlConfigurer -> { samlConfigurer.metadata(metadataUrl); }); samlConfigurer.metadataGeneratorConfig(samlConfigurer -> { samlConfigurer.entityId(entityId); }); samlConfigurer.samlUserDetailsService(samlUserDetailsServiceImpl);

    });

    } }

This code example assumes that you have set up Azure SSO with the required information and have created a SAMLUserDetailsService implementation. The entityId and metadataUrl values should be replaced with the appropriate values for your Azure SSO instance.

By integrating Azure SSO and Spring Framework 6, organizations can take advantage of the benefits of SSO while using a familiar and widely-used framework for building web applications.

For older version of spring framework pre java 8, like spring 3, a third party framework would be needed for to achieve SSO Azure integration, which will be out next topic.

SSOSpring framework