SAML vs. SSO: What's the Difference, How They Work Together, and Which One You Actually Need

The text provides a detailed exploration of SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) and Single Sign-On (SSO) within the context of B2B SaaS environments, clarifying the distinction and interconnectedness between them. SSO is highlighted as an authentication strategy that allows users to access multiple applications with a single login, while SAML is one protocol among others, like OIDC and Kerberos, that implements it. SAML's relevance, particularly for enterprise-level integrations, remains significant due to its XML-based, OASIS-standardized format that many corporate IT teams require. The text delves into the mechanics of SAML, explaining its building blocks such as assertions, protocols, and bindings, and emphasizes the importance of understanding these elements before implementation. It contrasts SAML with OIDC, noting that while SAML is crucial for legacy systems and enterprise customers, OIDC is more suited to modern web, mobile, and API-first architectures. The document advises B2B SaaS engineers to support both protocols, starting with OIDC and adding SAML as needed for enterprise clients, while also covering common implementation mistakes and suggesting solutions. SuperTokens is mentioned as a tool that simplifies handling both SAML and OIDC through its integration with SAML Jackson, thus offering a unified, multi-tenant session layer that is open-source and self-hostable.

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