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SAML: A fractal of bad design

353 points · 190 comments · aray07

  1. jmbwell · · focus · HN ↗
    It’s such a product of “Ooh! Markup languages! What can we use a markup language to solve!” When authentication is just not a document or data stream that needs marked-up.

    The article rightly connects this to XML, which was indeed the hammer to everything’s nail at the time

    I think we aren’t done with this problem yet, though. OIDC makes a lot of assumptions in service to Google and others. And tailscale as mentioned, despite “holding the line,” already reveals the cracks when things like GitHub accounts have to be treated differently from others.

    What we are missing is a provider-independent way to do this. I should be able to create an account and log in just about anywhere using a backend I control. It can be done, but not with what we have today

    1. erlend_sh · · focus · HN ↗
      > What we are missing is a provider-independent way to do this.

      A new IndieAuth-like pattern is emerging for how to do this, based on the combination of OAuth, FedCM and DIDs.

      <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;notes.erlend.sh&#x2F;3mpodece2qk2g" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;notes.erlend.sh&#x2F;3mpodece2qk2g

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