---
title: Federated SSO Primer
description: The goal of single sign-on is simple. Remove the need for users to remember a number of passwords to login to their applications.
component: developer-resources
page_id: developer-resources:federated_sso_primer:index
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/developer-resources/federated_sso_primer/index.html
revdate: May 3, 2021
page_aliases: ["dev_fed_sso_overview.adoc"]
---

# Federated SSO Primer

The goal of single sign-on is simple. Remove the need for users to remember a number of passwords to login to their applications.

For an application developer, [SSO](https://www.pingidentity.com/en/platform/single-sign-on.html) can enable:

* A web application wanting to log users in across multiple web assets without re-prompting them to login

* A user being able to log in to all their applications (on-prem and SaaS) by only typing their password once (or maybe not at all)

* Removing passwords from applications; reducing risk and aligning SaaS applications with organizational IAM policies

This guide will walk you through the concepts and considerations of authentication, Single Sign-On (SSO) through to federated SSO. Learn what "Federation" means and why open standard federation protocols enable cross-domain identity propagation.

In the following sections, we will provide a background into the protocols, roles and terminology involved in open standard federation protocols and how you as a developer can leverage these protocols to secure and enable identity in your application.