Shibboleth

Overview

Shibboleth is an implementation of the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) authentication protocol. Shibboleth is commonly used in web applications -- such as Canvas and UMN Library resources -- where a user's status at the University determines their level of access to these resources. The University operates a Shibboleth identity provider allowing faculty, staff, students, and other account holders to log in. Websites that run a SAML service provider can use Shibboleth to authenticate users.

Highlights

Leverages a user's existing University credentials so that you don’t have to manage accounts and passwords
Your site never sees user passwords; users enter passwords on the standard University login page only, so you don’t have to worry about handling passwords securely within your website or application
Works with both on-premise and hosted/cloud applications
Your application can get additional information back about users who logged in -- such as name, role, courses, job information, etc. -- that may be useful for access control (may require additional data access approval)
Your website or application could also leverage other universities’ accounts to log in for a more broadly-facing audience using the InCommon Federation