Identity provider is the process that will create a commerce store and manage digital identities. The IDP will provide authentication services to 3rd party providers such as websites, apps, or other digital services. It will also authenticate the user directly.

It builds a trusted relationship with the service providers by sharing identities and authenticating the user across the domain. One simple example that we can use For identity providers is using your Google Mail account to log into another app such as Facebook. With IDP, the user will be verified and have permission to access the service.

Types of Identity Provider

Single sign-on: This provider is an access management function that will help users log in with a single set of identity credentials to multiple accounts or apps. This service usually uses inbox space to access different resources or cloud-based software.

Security assertion markup language: This type of provider is based on XML markup language used for authenticating via identity federation. This provider is supported by different service provider applications such as Zoom Commerce, SalesForce, and more.

Benefits

  • An identity provider will provide solutions and tools for safe access on platforms like absent websites. This process is also called multi-factor authentication.
  • It will maintain a primary audit trail of all access events, making it easy for users to prove they are accessing the resources and when.
  • Since it provides a single sign-on that will help users avoid the problem of creating and maintaining various usernames and passwords.
  • It lowers the burden off the service provider since it does not have to manage user identities since IDP does it.
  • Users do not need to create new usernames and passwords since they already have identity credentials like Google. This will help users to manage and maintain a high level of security efficiently