AWS SAML Implementation
This article contains AWS IAM Identity Center-specific help for configuring login with SSO via SAML 2.0. For help configuring login with SSO for another IdP, refer to SAML 2.0 Configuration.
Configuration involves working simultaneously within the Bitwarden web app and the AWS Console. As you proceed, we recommend having both readily available and completing steps in the order they are documented.
tip
Already an SSO expert? Skip the instructions in this article and download screenshots of sample configurations to compare against your own.
Log in to the Bitwarden web app and open the Admin Console using the product switcher:
Open your organization's Settings → Single sign-on screen:
If you haven't already, create a unique SSO identifier for your organization and select SAML from the the Type dropdown. Keep this screen open for easy reference.
You can turn off the Set a unique SP entity ID option at this stage if you wish. Doing so will remove your organization ID from your SP entity ID value, however in almost all cases it is recommended to leave this option on.
tip
There are alternative Member decryption options. Learn how to get started using SSO with trusted devices or Key Connector.
In the AWS Console, navigate to IAM Identity Center, select Application assignments → Applications from the navigation, and select the Add application button:
On the Select application type screen, select I have an application I want to set up and SAML 2.0.
On the Configure application screen:
Give the application a unique, Bitwarden-specific Display name.
Copy the IAM Identity Center sign-in URL and IAM Identity Center issuer URL, and download the IAM Identity Center Certificate:
IAM Identity Center metadata In the Application start URL field, specify the login URL from which users will access Bitwarden. For cloud-hosted customers, this is always
https://vault.bitwarden.com/#/ssoorhttps://vault.bitwarden.eu/#/sso. For self-hosted instances, this is determined by your configured server URL, for examplehttps://your.domain/#/sso:
IAM Identity Center application properties In the Application metadata section, select the option to Manually type your metadata values:
Enter metadata values In that section, configure the following fields:
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Application ACS URL | Set this field to the pre-generated Assertion Consumer Service (ACS) URL. |
Application SAML audience | Set this field to the pre-generated SP Entity ID. |
When you are finished, select Submit.
Once the application is created, open it again from the Application assignments → Applications screen. Use the Actions dropdown to Edit attribute mappings:
Configure the following mappings and Save changes:
User attribute in the application | Maps to this string value or user attribute in IAM Identity Center | Format |
|---|---|---|
Subject |
| emailAddress |
| Unspecified |
From your application, scroll down to the Assigned users and groups section and select the Assign users and groups button:
Assign users and groups to the application.
At this point, you have configured everything you need within the context of the AWS Console. Return to the Bitwarden web app to complete configuration.
The Single sign-on screen separates configuration into two sections:
SAML service provider configuration will determine the format of SAML requests.
SAML identity provider configuration will determine the format to expect for SAML responses.
Service provider configuration should already be complete, however you may choose to edit any of the following fields:
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Name ID Format | Set to Email Address. |
Outbound Signing Algorithm | The algorithm Bitwarden will use to sign SAML requests. |
Signing Behavior | Whether/when SAML requests will be signed. |
Minimum Incoming Signing Algorithm | By default, IAM Identity Center will sign with SHA-256. Unless you have changed this, select |
Want Assertions Signed | Whether Bitwarden expects SAML assertions to be signed. |
Validate Certificates | Check this box when sing trusted and valid certificates from your IdP through a trusted CA. Self-signed certificates may fail unless proper trust chains are configured within the Bitwarden Login with SSO docker image. |
When you are done with the service provider configuration, Save your work.
Identity provider configuration will often require you to refer back to the AWS Console to retrieve application values:
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Entity ID | Enter the IAM Identity Center issuer URL, retrieved from the IAM Identity Center metadata section for your application in the AWS Console. This field is case sensitive. |
Binding Type | Set to HTTP POST or Redirect. |
Single Sign On Service URL | Enter the IAM Identity Center sign-in URL, retrieved from the IAM Identity Center metadata section for your application in the AWS Console. |
Single Log Out Service URL | Login with SSO currently does not support SLO. This option is planned for future development, however you may pre-configure it with the IAM Identity Center sign-out URL retrieved from the IAM Identity Center metadata section for your application in the AWS Console. |
X509 Public Certificate | Paste the downloaded certificate, removing:
and
|
Outbound Signing Algorithm | By default, IAM Identity Center will sign with |
Disable Outbound Logout Requests | Login with SSO currently does not support SLO. This option is planned for future development. |
Want Authentication Requests Signed | Whether IAM Identity Center expects SAML requests to be signed. |
note
When completing the X509 certificate, take note of the expiration date. Certificates will have to be renewed in order to prevent any disruptions in service to SSO end users. If a certificate has expired, Admin and Owner accounts will always be able to log in with email address and master password.
When you are done with the identity provider configuration, Save your work.
tip
You can require users to log in with SSO by activating the single sign-on authentication policy. Please note, this will require activating the single organization policy as well. Learn more.
Once your configuration is complete, test it by navigating to https://vault.bitwarden.com, entering your email address, selecting Continue, and selecting the Enterprise Single-On button:
Enter the configured organization identifier and select Log In. If your implementation is successfully configured, you will be redirected to the IAM Identity Center login screen:
After you authenticate with your IAM Identity Center credentials, enter your Bitwarden master password to decrypt your vault!
note
Bitwarden does not support unsolicited responses, so initiating login from your IdP will result in an error. The SSO login flow must be initiated from Bitwarden.
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