Exploring the Power of Microsoft Identity Platform
Tags: microsoftidentity, microsoftidentitysolution, identitymanagementsolutions
Published: 2024-03-04 09:32:42

Join us on a journey to understand how Microsoft Identity Platform revolutionizes user access, enhancing both security and user experience.

**What is microsoft identity platform?**

The [Microsoft identity platform](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/) is a cloud identity service that allows you to build applications your users and customers can sign in to using their Microsoft identities or social accounts. It authorizes access to your own APIs or [Microsoft APIs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/web/apis) like Microsoft Graph.

**OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect standard-compliant authentication service enabling developers to authenticate several identity types, including:**

- Work or school accounts, provisioned through Microsoft Entra ID
- Personal Microsoft accounts (Skype, Xbox, Outlook.com)
- Social or local accounts, by using Azure AD B2C
- Social or local customer accounts, by using Microsoft Entra External ID

**Open-source libraries:**

[Microsoft Authentication Library](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/msal-overview) (MSAL) and support for other standards-compliant libraries. The open source MSAL libraries are recommended as they provide built-in support for conditional access scenarios, single sign-on (SSO) experiences for your users, built-in token caching support, and more. MSAL supports the different authorization grants and token flows used in different application types and scenarios.

**Microsoft identity platform endpoint:**

The Microsoft identity platform endpoint is [OIDC](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-101/what-is-openid-connect-oidc) certified. It works with the Microsoft Authentication Libraries (MSAL) or any other [standards-compliant library](https://molily.de/javascript-libraries/). It implements human readable scopes, in accordance with industry standards.

**Application management portal:**

A registration and configuration experience in the [Microsoft Entra](https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/security/business/microsoft-entra) admin center, along with the other application management capabilities.

**Application configuration API and PowerShell:**

Programmatic configuration of your applications through the Microsoft Graph API and [PowerShell](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/) so you can automate your DevOps tasks.

**Developer content:**

Technical documentation including quickstarts, tutorials, how-to guides, API reference, and code samples.

For developers, the [Microsoft identity platform](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/) offers integration of modern innovations in the identity and security space like passwordless authentication, step-up authentication, and Conditional Access. You don't need to implement such functionality yourself. Applications integrated with the Microsoft identity platform natively take advantage of such innovations.

With the Microsoft identity platform, you can write code once and reach any user. You can build an app once and have it work across many platforms, or build an app that functions as both a client and a resource application (API).

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hy760d9q5qoeo6pqi5je.png)

**More identity and access management options**

[Azure AD B2C](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory-b2c/overview) - Build customer-facing applications your users can sign in to using their social accounts like Facebook or Google, or by using an email address and password.

[Microsoft Entra B2B](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/external-id/what-is-b2b) - Invite external users into your Microsoft Entra tenant as "guest" users, and assign permissions for authorization while they use their existing credentials for authentication.

[Microsoft Entra External ID](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/external-id/customers/overview-customers-ciam) - A customer identity and access management (CIAM) solution that lets you create secure, customized sign-in experiences for your customer-facing apps and services.

**The Components that make up the Microsoft identity platform:**

- **OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect standard-compliant authentication service** enabling developers to authenticate several identity types, including:

    - Work or school accounts, provisioned through Microsoft 
      Entra ID
    - Personal Microsoft accounts (Skype, Xbox, Outlook.com)
    - Social or local accounts, by using Azure AD B2C
    - Social or local customer accounts, by using Microsoft Entra 
      External ID

- **Open-source libraries:** [Microsoft Authentication Library](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/msal-overview) (MSAL) and support for other standards-compliant libraries. The open source MSAL libraries are recommended as they provide built-in support for conditional access scenarios, single sign-on (SSO) experiences for your users, built-in token caching support, and more. [MSAL](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/msal-overview) supports the different authorization grants and token flows used in different application types and scenarios.

- **Microsoft identity platform endpoint** - The Microsoft identity platform endpoint is [OIDC](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-101/what-is-openid-connect-oidc) certified. It works with the Microsoft Authentication Libraries (MSAL) or any other standards-compliant library. It implements human readable scopes, in accordance with industry standards.

- **Application management portal:** A registration and configuration experience in the [Microsoft Entra admin center](https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/security/business/microsoft-entra), along with the other application management capabilities.

- **Application configuration API and PowerShell:** Programmatic configuration of your applications through the Microsoft Graph API and [PowerShell](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/overview?view=powershell-7.4) so you can automate your [DevOps](https://aws.amazon.com/devops/what-is-devops/) tasks.

- **Developer content:** Technical documentation including quickstarts, tutorials, how-to guides, API reference, and code samples.

This article is cross-posted from Facile Technolab Blog. Read the orginal article [here](https://www.faciletechnolab.com/blog/exploring-the-power-of-microsoft-identity-platform/).