What is one mechanism available for SSO?

Federated authentication using SAML is a widely recognized mechanism for implementing Single Sign-On (SSO). It allows users to access multiple applications with a single set of login credentials by leveraging security assertions made by an identity provider.

In the context of SSO, SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) facilitates the exchange of authentication and authorization data between an identity provider and a service provider. This process involves a user authenticating with the identity provider, which then sends a SAML assertion to the service provider to grant access. By doing this, users do not need to repeatedly enter credentials for different services, simplifying access and enhancing user experience.

Token-based authentication and OAuth 2.0 also support various authentication and authorization workflows, but they are not exclusively designed as SSO solutions in the way that SAML is. Password validation, while crucial for authentication, does not enable SSO, as it typically requires users to enter credentials for each application they access. Thus, federated authentication using SAML stands out as a dedicated mechanism for achieving SSO across multiple applications.