Net Federation
You set up net federation by linking your identity system to target apps with signed tokens. This setup lets users log in once and reach tools across separate domains. Most teams start by mapping broad group claims to shared app roles. When those roles stay too wide, any logged-in user can run risky commands or read private rows. How net federation works in your stack In a standard setup, your identity provider and target app share a trust relationship. You give the target app your public sig
Identity Federation: the complete guide
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You set up net federation by linking your identity system to target apps with signed tokens. This setup lets users log in once and reach tools across separate domains. Most teams start by mapping broad group claims to shared app roles. When those roles stay too wide, any logged-in user can run risky commands or read private rows.
How net federation works in your stack
In a standard setup, your identity provider and target app share a trust relationship. You give the target app your public signing certificate and issuer details. When a person opens the app, the app sends them to the identity provider. The person logs in and passes a multi-factor check.
Next, the identity provider builds a signed token with user claims and group names. The browser sends that token back to the target app. The app checks the cryptographic signature against the saved public key. If the signature matches, the app reads the group claims and assigns a local role.
Teams use open standards like SAML or OpenID Connect for this flow. In Microsoft and .NET stacks, teams also use WS-Federation or modern claim libraries. The core idea stays the same across every protocol. One central system checks the person, and downstream apps trust that check.
How to set up claims and role mapping
First, register the target app inside your central identity provider. Set the reply URL so tokens go only to the right destination. Next, choose which user attributes to send inside the token. Keep this list small and include an email address, a unique ID, and group IDs.
Then, open your app settings and add the identity provider metadata. Map each incoming group claim to a specific permission role inside the app. Avoid mapping a general all-staff group to an admin or write role. Test the login flow with a regular user account to check the assigned role.
Finally, set a short lifetime for the issued tokens. Short token lifetimes limit the window if an attacker steals a session cookie. Rotate your signing keys on a set schedule and update the metadata URL.
Identity Federation: architecture patterns and best practices
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What native federation solves and what keeps the session active
Native federation solves password sprawl across your company. You no longer store local passwords inside every database or internal web app. When an engineer leaves the team, you disable one central account. That single action blocks login across every linked tool right away.
Still, federation only decides who can log in at the start of a session. Once the app accepts the token, the user gets full power for that role. Federation does not inspect individual SQL queries, CLI commands, or API calls in flight. It cannot rewrite sensitive fields like emails, phone numbers, card numbers, or national IDs in query results.
Also, many legacy databases and command-line tools do not read web tokens well. Teams often fall back to shared static keys or broad network rules for those systems. That gap leaves sensitive data exposed to mistakes or over-privileged roles after login.
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 runs beside each supported service as an open-source proxy, a sidecar for your database or API.
First, hoop.dev guardrails block banned queries before they run. Then hoop.dev data masking rewrites matched sensitive values in responses in memory. The audit trail records every statement and verdict per resource. Furthermore, hoop.dev holds SOC 2 Type II and is open source on GitHub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between single sign-on and net federation?
Single sign-on lets a user log in once for apps in one domain. Federation extends that trust across separate security domains, cloud accounts, or partner companies.
Which protocol should my team pick for new apps?
Pick OpenID Connect for modern web, mobile, and API workloads. Use SAML or WS-Federation only when linking older enterprise apps that require XML tokens.
Does federated login protect data inside my database?
No, federated login only checks identity at the door. You still need query-level controls and data masking to protect rows after the session starts.