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This page describes SAML for Groups. For instance-wide SAML on self-managed GitLab instances, see [SAML OmniAuth Provider](../../../integration/saml.md).
[View the differences between SaaS and Self-Managed Authentication and Authorization Options](../../../administration/auth/index.md#saas-vs-self-managed-comparison).
SAML on GitLab.com allows users to sign in through their SAML identity provider. If the user is not already a member, the sign-in process automatically adds the user to the appropriate group.
User synchronization of SAML SSO groups is supported through [SCIM](scim_setup.md). SCIM supports adding and removing users from the GitLab group automatically.
GitLab.com uses the SAML NameID to identify users. The NameID element:
- Is a required field in the SAML response.
- Must be unique to each user.
- Must be a persistent value that will never change, such as a randomly generated unique user ID.
- Is case sensitive. The NameID must match exactly on subsequent login attempts, so should not rely on user input that could change between upper and lower case.
Once users have signed into GitLab using the SSO SAML setup, changing the `NameID` breaks the configuration and potentially locks users out of the GitLab group.
The certificate [fingerprint algorithm](../../../integration/saml.md#notes-on-configuring-your-identity-provider) must be in SHA1. When configuring the identity provider, use a secure signature algorithm.
> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/5291) in GitLab 11.8.
> - [Improved](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/9255) in GitLab 11.11 with ongoing enforcement in the GitLab UI.
> - [Improved](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/292811) in GitLab 13.8, with an updated timeout experience.
> - [Improved](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/211962) in GitLab 13.8 with allowing group owners to not go through SSO.
> - [Improved](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/9152) in GitLab 13.11 with enforcing open SSO session to use Git if this setting is switched on.
With this option enabled, users (except owners) must go through your group's GitLab single sign-on URL if they wish to access group resources through the UI. Users can't be manually added as members.
SSO enforcement does not affect sign in or access to any resources outside of the group. Users can view which groups and projects they are a member of without SSO sign in.
The SAML standard means that a wide range of identity providers will work with GitLab. Your identity provider may have relevant documentation. It may be generic SAML documentation, or specifically targeted for GitLab.
When [configuring your identity provider](#configuring-your-identity-provider), please consider the notes below for specific providers to help avoid common issues and as a guide for terminology used.
For providers not listed below, you can refer to the [instance SAML notes on configuring an identity provider](../../../integration/saml.md#notes-on-configuring-your-identity-provider)
for additional guidance on information your identity provider may require.
Follow the Azure documentation on [configuring single sign-on to applications](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/manage-apps/view-applications-portal) with the notes below for consideration.
For a demo of the Azure SAML setup including SCIM, see [SCIM Provisioning on Azure Using SAML SSO for Groups Demo](https://youtu.be/24-ZxmTeEBU). The video is outdated in regard to
Please follow the Okta documentation on [setting up a SAML application in Okta](https://developer.okta.com/docs/guides/build-sso-integration/saml2/overview/) with the notes below for consideration.
OneLogin supports their own [GitLab (SaaS)](https://onelogin.service-now.com/support?id=kb_article&sys_id=92e4160adbf16cd0ca1c400e0b961923&kb_category=50984e84db738300d5505eea4b961913)
application.
If you decide to use the OneLogin generic [SAML Test Connector (Advanced)](https://onelogin.service-now.com/support?id=kb_article&sys_id=b2c19353dbde7b8024c780c74b9619fb&kb_category=93e869b0db185340d5505eea4b961934),
we recommend the ["Use the OneLogin SAML Test Connector" documentation](https://onelogin.service-now.com/support?id=kb_article&sys_id=93f95543db109700d5505eea4b96198f) with the following settings:
Once Group SSO is configured and enabled, users can access the GitLab.com group through the identity provider's dashboard. If [SCIM](scim_setup.md) is configured, please see the [user access and linking setup section on the SCIM page](scim_setup.md#user-access-and-linking-setup).
- Find an existing user with a matching SAML identity. This would mean the user either had their account created by [SCIM](scim_setup.md) or they have previously signed in with the group's SAML IdP.
- If there is no conflicting user with the same email address, create a new account automatically.
- If there is a conflicting user with the same email address, redirect the user to the sign-in page to:
- Create a new account with another email address.
- Sign-in to their existing account to link the SAML identity.
1. Locate and visit the **GitLab single sign-on URL** for the group you're signing in to. A group owner can find this on the group's **Settings > SAML SSO** page. If the sign-in URL is configured, users can connect to the GitLab app from the identity provider.
On subsequent visits, you should be able to go [sign in to GitLab.com with SAML](#signing-in-to-gitlabcom-with-saml) or by visiting links directly. If the **enforce SSO** option is turned on, you are then redirected to sign in through the identity provider.
Starting from [GitLab 13.3](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/214523), group owners can set a 'Default membership role' other than 'Guest'. To do so, [configure the SAML SSO for the group](#configuring-gitlab). That role becomes the starting access level of all users added to the group.
Existing members with appropriate privileges can promote or demote users, as needed.
## Passwords for users created via SAML SSO for Groups
The [Generated passwords for users created through integrated authentication](../../../security/passwords_for_integrated_authentication_methods.md) guide provides an overview of how GitLab generates and sets passwords for users created via SAML SSO for Groups.
- The [NameID](#nameid), which we use to identify which user is signing in. If the user has previously signed in, this [must match the value we have stored](#verifying-nameid).
- The presence of a `X509Certificate`, which we require to verify the response signature.
- The `SubjectConfirmation` and `Conditions`, which can cause errors if misconfigured.
For convenience, we've included some [example resources](../../../administration/troubleshooting/group_saml_scim.md) used by our Support Team. While they may help you verify the SAML app configuration, they are not guaranteed to reflect the current state of third-party products.
In troubleshooting the Group SAML setup, any authenticated user can use the API to verify the NameID GitLab already has linked to the user by visiting [`https://gitlab.com/api/v4/user`](https://gitlab.com/api/v4/user) and checking the `extern_uid` under identities.
Similarly, group members of a role with the appropriate permissions can make use of the [members API](../../../api/members.md) to view group SAML identity information for members of the group.
This can then be compared to the [NameID](#nameid) being sent by the identity provider by decoding the message with a [SAML debugging tool](#saml-debugging-tools). We require that these match in order to identify users.
If a user is trying to sign in for the first time and the GitLab single sign-on URL has not [been configured](#configuring-your-identity-provider), they may see a 404.
As outlined in the [user access section](#linking-saml-to-your-existing-gitlabcom-account), a group Owner will need to provide the URL to users.
This error suggests you are signed in as a GitLab user but have already linked your SAML identity to a different GitLab user. Sign out and then try to sign in again using the SSO SAML link, which should log you into GitLab with the linked user account.
If you do not wish to use that GitLab user with the SAML login, you can [unlink the GitLab account from the group's SAML](#unlinking-accounts).
### Message: "SAML authentication failed: User has already been taken"
| You've tried to link multiple SAML identities to the same user, for a given identity provider. | Change the identity that you sign in with. To do so, [unlink the previous SAML identity](#unlinking-accounts) from this GitLab account before attempting to sign in again. |
| When a user account with the email address already exists in GitLab, but the user does not have the SAML identity tied to their account. | The user will need to [link their account](#user-access-and-management). |
Getting both of these errors at the same time suggests the NameID capitalization provided by the identity provider didn't exactly match the previous value for that user.
This can be prevented by configuring the [NameID](#nameid) to return a consistent value. Fixing this for an individual user involves [unlinking SAML in the GitLab account](#unlinking-accounts), although this will cause group membership and to-dos to be lost.
Alternatively, the SAML response may be missing the `InResponseTo` attribute in the
`samlp:Response` tag, which is [expected by the SAML gem](https://github.com/onelogin/ruby-saml/blob/9f710c5028b069bfab4b9e2b66891e0549765af5/lib/onelogin/ruby-saml/response.rb#L307-L316).
Ensure that the **GitLab single sign-on URL** has been configured as "Login URL" (or similarly named field) in the identity provider's SAML app.
Alternatively, when users need to [link SAML to their existing GitLab.com account](#linking-saml-to-your-existing-gitlabcom-account), provide the **GitLab single sign-on URL** and instruct users not to use the SAML app on first sign in.
| As mentioned in the [NameID](#nameid) section, if the NameID changes for any user, the user can be locked out. This is a common problem when an email address is used as the identifier. | Follow the steps outlined in the ["SAML authentication failed: User has already been taken"](#message-saml-authentication-failed-user-has-already-been-taken) section. |
If the NameID is identical in both SAML apps, then no change is required.
Otherwise, to change the SAML app used for sign in, users need to [unlink the current SAML identity](#unlinking-accounts) and then [link their identity](#user-access-and-management) to the new SAML app.
For more information, start with your identity provider's documentation. Look for their options and examples to see how they configure SAML. This can provide hints on what you'll need to configure GitLab to work with these providers.
It can also help to look at our [more detailed docs for self-managed GitLab](../../../integration/saml.md).
SAML configuration for GitLab.com is mostly the same as for self-managed instances.
However, self-managed GitLab instances use a configuration file that supports more options as described in the external [OmniAuth SAML documentation](https://github.com/omniauth/omniauth-saml/).
Internally that uses the [`ruby-saml` library](https://github.com/onelogin/ruby-saml), so we sometimes check there to verify low level details of less commonly used options.
It can also help to compare the XML response from your provider with our [example XML used for internal testing](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/ee/spec/fixtures/saml/response.xml).
