---
title: Authentication configuration
description: How Delegated Admin authentication works, with PingFederate validating credentials and issuing access tokens that the PingDirectory server validates and authorizes.
component: pingdirectory
version: 10.2
page_id: pingdirectory:delegated_admin_application_guide:pd_da_authn_config
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/11.1/delegated_admin_application_guide/pd_da_authn_config.html
llms_txt: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/llms.txt
docs_for_agents: https://developer.pingidentity.com/build-with-ai/docs-for-agents.md
revdate: 2023-09-18T00:00:00Z
superseded_by: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/11.1/delegated_admin_application_guide/pd_da_authn_config.html
section_ids:
  interaction-with-the-pingdirectory-server: Interaction with the PingDirectory server
  authorization-by-the-pingdirectory-server: Authorization by the PingDirectory server
  configure-authentication: Configure authentication
---

# Authentication configuration

The delegated administrator signs on to Delegated Admin through the PingFederate server, which is configured as the authentication server and OpenID Connect (OIDC) *(tooltip: \<div class="paragraph">
\<p>An authentication protocol built on top of OAuth that authenticates users and enables clients (relying parties) of all types to request and receive information about authenticated sessions and users. OIDC is extensible, allowing clients to use optional features such as encryption of identity data, discovery of OpenID Providers (OAuth authorization servers), and session management.\</p>
\</div>)* provider.

PingFederate validates the user's credentials against the PingDirectory server, encapsulates information `claims` about the user's identity, and issues an access token *(tooltip: \<div class="paragraph">
\<p>A data object by which a client authenticates to a resource server and lays claim to authorizations for accessing particular resources.\</p>
\</div>)* to Delegated Admin, which presents the token to the PingDirectory server in the HTTP Authorization request header.

## Interaction with the PingDirectory server

The PingDirectory server is configured to accept access tokens by using access token validators. The values that the PingFederate server sets for the access token `sub` claim must be mappable to a distinguished name (DN) *(tooltip: \<div class="paragraph">
\<p>A name uniquely identifying an object within the hierarchy of a directory tree.\</p>
\</div>)* in the PingDirectory server. Setting up an access token validator for use with Delegated Admin requires some coordination with the server configuration. In the suggested default configuration, the access token contains the entryUUID of the administrator user entry in the `sub` claim. This value is mapped back to a PingDirectory server entry by using an Exact Match Identity Mapper.

## Authorization by the PingDirectory server

After validation, the PingDirectory server checks the Delegated Admin configuration for authorization of the delegated administrator. Users or groups of users are authorized as delegated administrators in the PingDirectory server administrative console or with the `dsconfig` tool.

## Configure authentication

One of the prerequisites to installing Delegated Admin is to configure the following OAuth *(tooltip: \<div class="paragraph">
\<p>A standard framework that enables an application (OAuth client) to obtain access tokens from an OAuth authorization server for the purpose of retrieving protected resources on a resource server.\</p>
\</div>)* clients within PingFederate:

* Delegated Admin, which obtains an OIDC token that describes the authenticated user. For more information, see [Configuring Delegated Admin as a new client (create OAuth client for Delegated Admin)](pd_da_config_delegated_admin_new_client.html).

* The PingDirectory server itself, which calls PingFederate to validate the OIDC token that Delegated Admin passes to it. For more information, see [Configuring the PingDirectory server as the token validator (create OAuth client for PingDirectory)](pd_da_config_pd_server_token_validator.html).