Closed Federation or Open Federation
To choose between closed federation or open federation, check how your team builds trust with outside domains. Closed federation uses a strict allow list, while open federation lets any outside domain talk to your users. Many teams start with open rules so partners can chat and share files right away. Still, broad trust rules let unknown accounts reach your internal systems and wide roles create risk. How closed federation or open federation works Federation lets people from different compani
Open Policy Agent (OPA) + Identity Federation: the complete guide
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To choose between closed federation or open federation, check how your team builds trust with outside domains. Closed federation uses a strict allow list, while open federation lets any outside domain talk to your users. Many teams start with open rules so partners can chat and share files right away. Still, broad trust rules let unknown accounts reach your internal systems and wide roles create risk.
How closed federation or open federation works
Federation lets people from different companies log in or talk across domain borders. Instead of making new local accounts for guests, your system trusts their home login system. You set up this trust using shared keys and strict domain rules.
In a closed setup, admins must add each partner domain by hand before any link works. Both sides swap public keys and check domain names on a set schedule. If a domain is not on your list, your servers block all traffic from it. This model fits banking, healthcare, and teams that handle private data every day.
In an open setup, your system accepts traffic from any valid outside domain by default. Admins only write block rules when a bad domain sends spam or threats. This model helps fast sales teams talk to new clients without waiting for IT tickets. Yet it leaves your user list exposed to outside scans and fake login prompts.
How to set up domain trust rules
First, list every outside group that needs to work with your local staff. Ask each group what login provider they use and what level of role they need. Keep internal admin roles separate from roles you give to federated guests.
Next, pick a default rule in your main login directory. Most security teams block all outside domains first and then add trusted partners one by one. You should also check that each partner domain uses valid certificates and two-step login checks. Test the trust link with one guest account before you open it to the whole partner team.
Finally, set an end date for every outside trust link you build. Projects end and vendors change, so old trust links should not keeps the session active forever. Review your domain list every quarter and drop any partner that no longer works with your team.
Open Policy Agent (OPA) + Identity Federation: architecture patterns and best practices
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What domain federation solves and what it misses
Domain federation stops password reuse and removes the need to manage guest passwords by hand. When a contractor leaves a partner firm, their home admin disables their account once. That single action blocks their login to your linked apps as well.
Still, federation only checks who logs in at the front door. Once a federated user gets a valid session, the login provider steps out of the way. Federation cannot see what commands that user runs inside a database or server.
If you map a partner domain to a broad database role, every guest gets wide write rights. A guest could run a bad query or pull sensitive records like emails and phone numbers. Your login logs will show a valid sign-in, not the exact queries they ran in flight. Teams still need a way to check individual actions and rewrite sensitive fields like card numbers in results.
Govern statements and responses across databases and APIs
Good config and scoped roles are needed setup. They do not check single queries in flight or mask sensitive fields in returned rows. Across Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, ClickHouse, Kubernetes APIs, SSH, and internal HTTP endpoints, hoop.dev sits inline in the protocol beside each supported service as an open-source proxy, a sidecar for your database or API. For every query or command an AI agent or engineer runs against production, hoop.dev decides to pass, mask, block, or hold it for human approval.
First, hoop.dev guardrails block banned queries before they run or hold risky ones for review, and hoop.dev data masking rewrites matched sensitive values in responses in memory. Furthermore, hoop.dev holds SOC 2 Type II and is open source on GitHub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between closed and open federation?
Closed federation blocks all outside domains unless an admin adds them to an allow list. Open federation trusts all outside domains by default unless an admin puts them on a block list.
Can a team use both closed and open federation at the same time?
Yes, many teams use open rules for basic chat apps and closed rules for cloud consoles and data tools. You can set different domain rules for each app in your login system.
Does closed federation protect databases from bad queries?
No, closed federation only limits which outside users can log in and start a session. It does not inspect or block the SQL statements or shell commands a user runs after sign-in.