How do I build SSO support for Okta and Azure AD?

To build SSO support for Okta and Azure AD, the most practical approach is to implement SAML 2.0 and/or OpenID Connect (OIDC) in your app, then configure each IdP as a connection.

Recommended approach

• If you’re building a modern app: use OIDC
• If you need enterprise SSO compatibility: support SAML 2.0
• Many products support both, because some customers require SAML while others prefer OIDC.

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1) Choose the SSO protocol

OIDC (preferred if possible)

Good for:

• web apps
• SPA + backend
• mobile apps
• easier user profile and token handling

Flow:

1. Redirect user to IdP login
2. IdP authenticates user
3. IdP sends authorization code back
4. Your app exchanges code for tokens
5. You create a session in your app

SAML 2.0

Good for:

• enterprise customer integrations
• older IdP setups
• common in B2B SaaS

Flow:

1. User clicks “Sign in with SSO”
2. Redirect to IdP
3. IdP posts a signed SAML assertion to your ACS endpoint
4. Your app validates the assertion
5. You create a session

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2) Build the core SSO architecture

Your app should have:

• Identity provider configuration
  • issuer / entity ID
  • SSO URL / authorization endpoint
  • certificate / JWKS
  • client ID and secret for OIDC
  • ACS URL / redirect URI
• User mapping
  • map external identity to internal user
  • use stable identifier like email, sub, or SAML NameID
• Session creation
  • exchange validated identity for your app session
• Provisioning strategy
  • JIT provisioning: create user on first login
  • or SCIM for lifecycle management

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3) Implement OIDC support

For Okta

Typical OIDC setup:

• Create an OIDC app integration in Okta
• Configure redirect URI(s)
• Obtain:
  • client_id
  • client_secret
  • issuer

For Azure AD

• Register an application in Azure App Registrations
• Configure redirect URI(s)
• Obtain:
  • client_id
  • client_secret
  • tenant-specific or common issuer

OIDC validation steps

When you receive the ID token:

• verify signature using JWKS
• validate iss, aud, exp, nonce
• ensure token belongs to expected tenant/issuer
• map claims:
  • email: email, preferred_username, or upn
  • subject: sub
  • name: name

Useful OIDC endpoints

• Authorization endpoint
• Token endpoint
• JWKS endpoint
• UserInfo endpoint

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4) Implement SAML support

For Okta

• Create a SAML app integration
• Configure:
  • ACS URL
  • Entity ID / Audience URI
  • NameID format
• Download the IdP metadata XML / certificate

For Azure AD

• Use Enterprise Applications
• Configure single sign-on with SAML
• Set:
  • Identifier (Entity ID)
  • Reply URL (ACS URL)
  • Sign-on URL if needed
• Download federation metadata XML / certificate

SAML validation steps

When you receive a SAML response:

• validate XML signature
• verify assertion audience
• verify recipient / ACS URL
• check NotBefore / NotOnOrAfter
• ensure assertion hasn’t been replayed
• map attributes:
  • email
  • first name / last name
  • groups if required

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5) Multi-tenant design for both Okta and Azure AD

If your app serves many customers, store SSO config per tenant/org:

{
  "tenant_id": "acme",
  "protocol": "oidc",
  "idp": "okta",
  "issuer": "https://dev-123456.okta.com/oauth2/default",
  "client_id": "...",
  "client_secret": "...",
  "redirect_uri": "https://app.example.com/sso/callback"
}

or for SAML:

{
  "tenant_id": "acme",
  "protocol": "saml",
  "idp": "azuread",
  "entity_id": "https://app.example.com/saml/metadata",
  "acs_url": "https://app.example.com/saml/acs",
  "idp_metadata_url": "https://login.microsoftonline.com/.../federationmetadata/2007-06/federationmetadata.xml"
}

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6) User provisioning and authorization

JIT provisioning

On first successful SSO login:

• find user by email or external subject
• create account if missing
• attach IdP identity to internal user

Group/role mapping

For authorization:

• map IdP groups/roles to app roles
• beware of Azure AD group overage and token limits
• for large orgs, you may need Graph API lookups instead of group claims

SCIM

If you need automated provisioning/deprovisioning:

• implement SCIM 2.0
• use it alongside SSO
• this is common for enterprise SaaS

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7) Security best practices

• Use Authorization Code Flow for OIDC
• Use PKCE for public clients
• Validate state and nonce
• Pin to expected IdP issuer/tenant
• Rotate secrets and certificates
• Enforce HTTPS everywhere
• Log auth events without storing sensitive tokens
• Protect against replay attacks
• Prefer short-lived sessions and token expiry handling

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8) Easiest implementation option: use a library or auth platform

You can implement directly, but many teams use:

• Auth0
• WorkOS
• Clerk
• FusionAuth
• Keycloak
• Passport.js / openid-client / passport-saml for custom builds

If you want enterprise SSO with less effort, a managed provider can reduce support burden.

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9) Suggested implementation plan

1. Decide whether you need OIDC, SAML, or both
2. Build a tenant-level IdP configuration model
3. Implement login initiation
4. Implement callback/ACS handling
5. Validate tokens/assertions securely
6. Map external identity to internal user
7. Add group/role mapping
8. Add admin UI for customers to paste IdP metadata/config
9. Test with:
   • Okta developer org
   • Azure AD test tenant
10. Add SCIM if needed

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10) Quick recommendation

If you’re starting from scratch:

• support OIDC first
• add SAML for enterprise compatibility
• optionally add SCIM for provisioning

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If you want, I can also give you:

1. a step-by-step Okta setup
2. a step-by-step Azure AD setup
3. sample code in Node.js, Python, Java, or .NET
4. a SAML vs OIDC decision guide for your product