SAML 2.0 Identity Provider

SAML Integration Guide

Use 3PM Accounts as a SAML 2.0 Identity Provider to enable Single Sign-On for enterprise applications like Zoho Creator, Salesforce, and other SAML-compliant Service Providers.

Overview

3PM Accounts functions as a SAML 2.0 Identity Provider (IdP), allowing users to authenticate using existing methods (Email OTP, Mobile OTP, Google, Apple) and then access SAML-enabled Service Providers with a signed assertion.

Identity Provider

3PM Accounts authenticates users and generates signed SAML assertions.

Service Providers

Zoho, Salesforce, and other SAML apps trust 3PM Accounts assertions.

Existing Auth Methods

Users log in with Email OTP, Mobile OTP, Google, or Apple.

Secure Assertions

RSA-SHA256 signed assertions with replay protection.

How It Works

1User clicks "Login with SSO" in the Service Provider (e.g., Zoho)

2SP sends SAML AuthnRequest to 3PM Accounts

3User authenticates via OTP, Google, or Apple

43PM Accounts generates signed SAML Response with user attributes

5User is redirected to SP with the assertion, now logged in

Configuration

SAML IdP requires X.509 certificates for signing assertions and environment variables for configuration.

1. Generate Certificates

Generate a self-signed certificate for signing SAML assertions:

# Create certs directory
mkdir -p certs

# Generate private key and certificate (valid for 3 years)
openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:4096 \
  -keyout certs/saml-idp.key \
  -out certs/saml-idp.crt \
  -days 1095 -nodes \
  -subj "/CN=3PM Accounts SAML IdP"

2. Environment Variables

.env.localenv

# SAML IdP Configuration
SAML_IDP_ENTITY_ID=https://auth.3pm.app/saml
SAML_IDP_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH=./certs/saml-idp.key
SAML_IDP_CERTIFICATE_PATH=./certs/saml-idp.crt

# Optional: Key passphrase (if encrypted)
# SAML_IDP_KEY_PASSPHRASE=your-passphrase

# Assertion lifetime (default: 300 seconds / 5 minutes)
SAML_ASSERTION_LIFETIME_SECONDS=300

# Auth request TTL (default: 600 seconds / 10 minutes)
SAML_AUTH_REQUEST_TTL_SECONDS=600

Important: Keep your private key secure. Never commit it to version control.

Configuration Reference

Variable	Description	Required
SAML_IDP_ENTITY_ID	Unique identifier for your IdP	Yes
SAML_IDP_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH	Path to private key file	Yes
SAML_IDP_CERTIFICATE_PATH	Path to certificate file	Yes
SAML_ASSERTION_LIFETIME_SECONDS	Assertion validity duration	No (default: 300)

Service Providers

Required Information

When registering a Service Provider, you'll need the following information from them:

Field	Description	Example
Entity ID	SP's unique identifier	zoho.com
ACS URL	Assertion Consumer Service URL	https://accounts.zoho.com/samlresponse/...
Name	Display name for the SP	Zoho Creator
NameID Format	Format for user identifier	emailAddress

Optional Settings

SLO URLSingle Logout URL for federated logout

CertificateSP's certificate for signed request validation

Attribute MappingsCustom attribute names expected by the SP

Admin Dashboard: Go to Dashboard → SAML Service Providers to register and manage SPs.

Authentication Flow

3PM Accounts supports SP-initiated SSO, where the Service Provider starts the authentication flow.

SP-Initiated SSO Flow

1.UserService Provider(clicks "Login with SSO")

2.Service Provider3PM Accounts(SAMLRequest via redirect/POST)

3.3PM AccountsUser(authenticates via OTP/OAuth)

4.3PM AccountsService Provider(SAMLResponse via POST to ACS URL)

5.Service ProviderUser(logged in, session created)

Supported Bindings

HTTP-Redirect (GET)

SAMLRequest is deflated, base64-encoded, and passed as a query parameter.

HTTP-POST

SAMLRequest is base64-encoded and submitted as a form field.

Already logged in? If the user has an active 3PM Accounts session, they'll be redirected back to the SP immediately without re-authenticating.

Endpoints

GET/api/saml/metadata

Returns the IdP metadata XML. Service Providers use this to configure SAML SSO.

curl https://auth.3pm.app/api/saml/metadata

Response: XML document containing Entity ID, SSO endpoints, and X.509 certificate.

GET/POST/api/saml/sso

Single Sign-On endpoint. Receives SAML AuthnRequest from Service Providers.

GET (HTTP-Redirect Binding)

GET /api/saml/sso?SAMLRequest={deflated-base64}&RelayState={optional-state}

POST (HTTP-POST Binding)

POST /api/saml/sso
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

SAMLRequest={base64-encoded}&RelayState={optional-state}

GET/POST/api/saml/slo

Single Logout endpoint (optional). Handles logout requests from Service Providers.

Attribute Mapping

SAML assertions include user attributes that Service Providers use to identify and provision users.

Default Attributes

Attribute	Value	Description
NameID	user.email	Primary identifier (usually email)
email	user.email	User's email address
firstName	user.firstName	User's first name
lastName	user.lastName	User's last name

NameID Formats

Supported NameID formats for identifying users:

urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:1.1:nameid-format:emailAddress

urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:nameid-format:unspecified

urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:2.0:nameid-format:persistent

Zoho Creator Example

Step-by-step guide for integrating Zoho Creator with 3PM Accounts SAML SSO.

Get IdP Information

Download the IdP metadata or note these values:

Entity ID	{YOUR_DOMAIN}/saml
SSO URL	{YOUR_DOMAIN}/api/saml/sso
Certificate	Download from /api/saml/metadata

Configure Zoho

In Zoho Admin Console → Security → SAML Authentication:

Enter the Entity ID from 3PM Accounts
Enter the SSO URL (Login URL)
Upload the 3PM Accounts certificate
Set NameID format to emailAddress
Enable SAML authentication

Register Zoho in 3PM Accounts

In 3PM Accounts Dashboard → SAML Service Providers → Add:

{
  "name": "Zoho Creator",
  "entityId": "zoho.com",
  "acsUrl": "https://accounts.zoho.com/samlresponse/your-org",
  "nameIdFormat": "urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:1.1:nameid-format:emailAddress",
  "enabled": true
}

Test the Integration

Verify SSO is working:

Go to your Zoho Creator app login page
Click "Sign in with SSO" or your custom domain login
You should be redirected to 3PM Accounts
Authenticate using your preferred method
After authentication, you'll be redirected back to Zoho, logged in

Success! Users can now log into Zoho Creator using their 3PM Accounts credentials.

SAML 2.0 IdP Documentation - February 2026

View IdP Metadata SSO Documentation AI Guide