Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) 2.0

SAML is the foundation for much of the current identity federation activity. SAML 2.0 is preceded by SAML 1.0 and 1.1. SAML 1.1 was released in 2003 and had just two scenarios (also known as profiles), and both were IdP-initiated. Shibboleth 1.3 and Liberty Alliance—WS-FF 1.2 extended SAML 1.1, and SAML 2.0 was released by OASIS in 2005.

The following table shows the SAML core principles:

Assertions	Protocols	Bindings
Package of identity information	Request/response based	Associates a message (protocol) with transport (communication mechanism)
Synonym token	Defines the messaging requirements	Examples: HTTP Redirect HTTP POST HTTP Artifact SOAP
XML-based	Examples: Authentication request Single logout Artifact resolution

 

In the next section, we will talk about the key facts of the SAML 2.0 protocol...