Understanding Directory Sync: Users, Groups, and Identity Providers

The Importance of User Identity Management

Managing user identity is crucial for applications, especially in organizational settings where control over who can access what is necessary. Organizations use identity providers like Entra, Google, or Okta to manage user accounts and groups, which then determine access permissions within various applications.

What is Directory Sync?

Directory sync is the process of copying an organization's directory information, including users and groups, from an identity provider into an application and maintaining its currency. The identity provider acts as the source of truth, meaning the application's directory is a synchronized copy that must reflect changes such as new users, updates to existing users, or removals.

This process ensures that when someone joins, leaves, or changes teams, the application's access controls are updated promptly.

Components of an Organizational Directory

An organizational directory typically consists of three main elements: users, groups, and members. Users are individuals with names, emails, and statuses. Groups are collections of users, or even other groups, used to grant access to multiple people simultaneously. Members define who belongs to which group, directly or indirectly, determining a user's overall access permissions.

Directory Sync vs. Single Sign-On (SSO)

It is important to distinguish directory sync from Single Sign-On (SSO). While both relate to identity, directory sync specifically concerns the mechanism of bringing user and group data into an application. SSO, on the other hand, deals with how users authenticate into an application, as defined by standards like OpenID Connect, and does not cover the provisioning of user data.