Difference between JWT and SAML

Introduction

JWT is an abbreviation for JSON Web Token, while SAML stands for Security Assertion Markup Language, and these are two of the most widely used mechanisms for authentication in contemporary web applications with the purpose of checking user identities as well as providing them with the necessary access to resources. Even though they are of a similar nature, they are established differently when it comes to structure, functioning, and applicability. JWT stands for JSON Web Token; it is a small and URL-safe method to transfer information between two parties through a set of claims. This authentication method is usually utilized in RESTful API for stateless authentication, and it can be incorporated seamlessly into different platforms. At the same time, SAML is an XML-based architecture mainly for implementing the SSO for enterprises. It is a lot more involved than the standard flow of IdP to SP for the purpose of authentication. It is important to distinguish between JWT and SAML and select the right approach for the proper protection of your application's resources while achieving the best results in terms of performance and usability.

What is JWT?

JWT (JSON Web Token) refers to a token format that is compact, URL safe, and which is used to convey information between parties as per JSON structure. It is used widely in web authentication and authorization procedures in resourceful RESTful API. A JWT consists of three parts: A header, which contains information about the file's content; a payload which contains the data; and a signature as confirmation of the file's contents. The header shows what type of token it is and which hashing algorithm was used, while the payload has the claims or the data, and the single shows whether the token has been tampered with or not. JWTs are also stateless, making them capable of working on systems with no state or storage on the server side and scalable.

Features of JWT

• Compact and URL-Safe: JWTs are small in size. Thus, it is suitable for transmission over HTTP and can be easily integrated into URLs, headers, or cookies.
• Self-Contained: JWT or JSON Web Token format allows for such essential and relevant data to be coded and stored in the token, hence no need for server-side session management. Due to this, it is very useful in stateless authentication.
• JSON-Based: The token is represented in JSON format, which is simple, easy to work with, to encod and decode in any language.
• Claims: JWTs include claims, which are key-value pairs that are used to communicate client details and other utilities. It is important to know that claims can be made or custom-defined depending on the need of an application.
• Secure: We commonly use the HMAC or RSA approach to sign JWTs to secure the information contained in the tokens. It also ensures that nobody can manipulate the token through modifying the signature that is appended to it.
• Extensible: For additional information that may be needed in applications, JWTs can only have additional claims pre-defined in the context of the JWTs as custom claims.
• Interoperable: Using JWTs is vendor-neutral and can be applied to any platform and programming language, which is beneficial.
• Expiration and Revocation: JWTs may contain an expiration time (exp claim) This the JWTs can be easily expired after a stipulated time, making the security feature of JWTs impressive. However, revocation typically requires additional mechanisms since the above-mentioned JWTs, for example, are stateless.

Drawbacks of JWT

• Token Size: JWTs are quite compact, but they may become huge if there are many claims or long cryptographic keys in the token. This can lead to such effects as the usage of much bandwidth and small size of data transmitted within a given period of time.
• Stateless Nature: JWTs are stateless and self-sufficient, which means that, unlike SIDs, there is no one-click method of revoking a token that has been issued before it expires. This can be an issue if a token is exposed since it will still be a valid token until it expires on its own.
• Security Risks: When not well deployed, JWTs are at risk of exposure to token manipulation, algorithm impersonation (none-algorithm), and exposure information that is sensitive and not adequately encrypted.
• No Built-In Revocation: Compared to other types of sessions where the server side storage enables revocation, with JWT, there is only a way to revoke the token earlier by using some additional mechanisms like black list, shorter token expiration time, etc. some the few disadvantages of JWT.
• Long-Lived Tokens: It implies that if a JWT token is stolen, the attacker is provided with ample time within which to exploit the token, if it has a large expiration time. On the other hand, employing short-lived tokens might cause the user to be re-authenticated often, thus may have negative efficiency effects.
• Heavy Payloads: Adding more data into the payload can lead to token bloat, which means that the payload becomes large, hence slowing down its performance, especially when used in mobile or low bandwidth environments.
• Complexity in Implementation: Despite being relatively straightforward in idea, a number of pitfalls surround JWTs, such as improper signing, usage of non-secure transmission protocol, and incorrect checks of the claims; if not properly implemented, the latter of which can lead to the presence of vulnerabilities.
• No Native Support for Refresh Tokens: JWTs do not have a refresh token property, and thus, developers of applications that use JWTs have to design their own mechanisms for handling the situation when a token expires, and a new one needs to be created so that the session could be continued.

What is SAML?

SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is an XML-based open standard that provides the possibility for exchanging authentication and authorization data between two parties which are usually an Identity Provider (IdP) and a Service Provider (SP). It is highly used for SSO in enterprise networks since it enables a user to log into many applications using a single credential. SAML simplifies the process of secure communication because with the help of IdP and made assertions to SP the user doesn't need to log in again. SAML is best used where there is a marriage of multiple organizations, systems and more so in highly formalized organizations.

Features of SAML

• Single Sign-On (SSO): SAML helps in single sign on, where a user gives his or her credential once to access several applications or services, which is efficient for the user.
• Federated Identity Management: Federation means users belonging to different organizations or domains can authenticate to the Identity Provider (IDP) and can request services from different Service Providers (SP).
• XML-Based: SAML is developed based on XML, and this makes authentication and authorization data exchange between two parties more structured.
• Secure Data Exchange: Assertions are protected and safe due to the incorporation of digital signatures and encryptions with SAM.
• Interoperability: Another advantage of SAML is its compatibility with many platforms and applications. It can connect a broad range of different systems in modern enterprises.
• Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC): The assertions can include user attributes so that the detailed level of access can be established depending on several parameters of the user.
• Widely Adopted Standard: SAML is evolving and is very popular, especially in large corporations, and has significant support from the industry as well as many integrations.
• Reduced Password Fatigue: SAML helps to minimize the need for the use of multiple passwords for different services, thus making it safer and easier for the user.

Drawbacks of SAML

• Complexity: One of the main drawbacks is that SAML is a rather complex protocol, and its implementation and maintenance require quite a lot of effort, even in the case of small and non-enterprise applications.
• XML Overhead: SAML utilizes XML format that can be rather expansive and cumbersome and, therefore, can require more bandwidth and may take more time to process than, for instance, JWT.
• Requires Trust Relationships: SAML relies on establishing and maintaining the trust between the Identity Providers (IdPs) and Service Providers (SPs), which can be problematic, particularly in decentralized contexts.
• Less Flexibility: However, SAML is less flexible than other modern-day protocols, and as such, it becomes more difficult to implement it for new applications or use cases or under microservices.
• Session Management Challenges: SAML on its own does not necessarily contain methods for session control. Therefore, the session features, such as logout across various services, may be challenging and different cross-platform.
• Not Ideal for APIs: However, SAML is not ideal for RESTful APIs or mobile application development because of the XML base support and the browser-based redirect factor that is common in today's modern web development.
• Scalability Issues: A significant advantage of this scheme is that it is simple to implement and can scale well when applied at a large scale, although in large-scale applications SAML can become resource expensive; for instance, it can consume more CPU time and space when parsing XMLs and performing encryption.
• Slow Adoption in Smaller Businesses: Therefore, SAML is not readily implemented as it may take time for more companies to adopt it, and it consumes many resources and can be cumbersome for small businesses to incorporate the implementation of SAML instead opting for simpler and cheaper methods of OAuth

Top 10 Difference between JWT and SAML

Conclusion

Therefore, we can conclude by suggesting that while both the JWT and SAML are used for authentication and authorization purposes, they meet different needs and functions in different environments. JWT is particularly useful in the new, stateless applications as it is small and united. Therefore, it can be used in RESTful APIs and microservices. On the other hand, SAML suits cases of enterprises that require high capabilities of Single Sign-On and federated identity management. Although JWT has the advantages of scalability and integration simplicity, SAML can offer rich security and the option for session management. By understanding these features and demerits, it will be easier to select the best one depending on the needs of the application and infrastructure of the system.