What is single sign-on?
Single sign-on lets one identity provider vouch for you across many services through a button such as 'Sign in with Google' or 'Sign in with Apple'. It reduces the number of passwords you hold and concentrates the consequences: whoever controls that provider account can reach every connected service.
- Topic
- Authentication
- Also called
- SSO, sign in with Google, social login
- Reading time
- 1 min
- Reviewed
On this page
The genuine benefits
Fewer passwords means fewer chances to reuse one. The identity provider is usually better defended than a small site would be, and it can enforce strong second factors centrally. For organisations, revocation is also immediate because disabling one account closes every connected service.
The concentration cost
Losing the provider account can cut off every connected service, and providers do suspend accounts. Some services also make it hard to detach a social login later. Protect the SSO account itself with a security key and keep its recovery methods current.
Sources
These primary references support the terminology and current security guidance used in this definition.
