---
layout: api
page_title: SAML - Auth Methods - HTTP API
description: |-
  This is the API documentation for the Vault SAML auth method.
---

# SAML auth method (API)

<EnterpriseAlert />

This is the API documentation for the Vault SAML auth method. To learn more about the
usage and operation, see the [Vault SAML auth method documentation](/vault/docs/auth/saml).

This documentation assumes the SAML auth method is mounted at the `/auth/saml` path in
Vault. Since it is possible to enable auth methods at any location, please update your
API calls accordingly.

## Create or update configuration

Configures the auth method with a SAML identity provider.

| Method     | Path                |
|:-----------| :------------------ |
| `POST/PUT` | `/auth/saml/config` |

### Parameters

- `idp_metadata_url` `(string, <required>)` - The metadata URL of the identity provider.
  Mutually exclusive with `idp_sso_url`, `idp_issuer` and `idp_cert`. Must be a
  well-formatted URL.
- `idp_sso_url` `(string, <required if idp_metadata_url is not set>)` - The SSO URL of the
  identity provider. Mutually exclusive with `idp_metadata_url`. Must be a
  well-formatted URL.
- `idp_entity_id` `(string, <required if idp_metadata_url is not set>)` - The entity ID of
  the identity provider. Mutually exclusive with `idp_metadata_url`.
- `idp_cert` `(string, <required if idp_metadata_url is not set>)` - The PEM-encoded
  certificate of the identity provider used to verify response and assertion signatures.
  Mutually exclusive with `idp_metadata_url`.
- `entity_id` `(string, <required>)` - The entity ID of the SAML authentication
  service provider. Must match entity ID configured for the application in the
  SAML identity provider.
- `acs_urls` `(list, <required>)` - The well-formated URLs of your Assertion
  Consumer Service (ACS) that should receive a response from the identity
  provider. Vault returns a security warning if any of the given URLs lack TLS
  protection.
- `default_role` `(string, <optional>)` - The role to use if no role is provided during login.
  If not set, a role is required during login.
- `verbose_logging` `(bool, false)` - **Not recommended for production**. Log
  additional, **potentially sensitive** information during the SAML exchange
  according to the current logging level. When `verbose_logging` is `true`,
  debug-level logs provide user attributes and trace-level logs provide the full
  SAML response.
- `validate_response_signature` `(bool, false)` - Enables validation of signature
  for at least response in the SAML response. If your IDP allows signing both response
  and assertion, then recommendation is to opt in for validating signatures of both
  by enabling both options.
- `validate_assertion_signature` `(bool, false)` - Enables validation of signature
  for at least assertion in the SAML response. If your IDP allows signing both response
  and assertion, then recommendation is to opt in for validating signatures of both
  by enabling both options.

### Sample payload

```json
{
  "acs_urls": "https://my.vault/v1/auth/saml/callback",
  "default_role": "admin",
  "entity_id": "https://my.vault/v1/auth/saml",
  "idp_metadata_url": "https://company.okta.com/app/abc123eb9xnIfzlaf697/sso/saml/metadata"
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request PUT \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/saml/config
```

## Read configuration

Reads the auth method configuration.

| Method  | Path                |
| :------ | :------------------ |
| `GET`   | `/auth/saml/config` |

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request GET \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/saml/config
```

### Sample response

```json
{
  "request_id": "09c907d2-2dbe-8a5c-ca97-fad83195738b",
  "lease_id": "",
  "lease_duration": 0,
  "renewable": false,
  "data": {
    "acs_urls": [
      "https://my.vault/v1/auth/saml/callback"
    ],
    "default_role": "admin",
    "entity_id": "https://my.vault/v1/auth/saml",
    "idp_metadata_url": "https://company.okta.com/app/abc123eb9xnIfzlaf697/sso/saml/metadata"
    "validate_assertion_signature" : false,
    "validate_response_signature" : false
  },
  "warnings": null
}
```

## Create or update role

Configures a role in the auth method. Roles define specific constraints required for
authentication and properties of resulting Vault tokens.

| Method     | Path                     |
|:-----------|:-------------------------|
| `POST/PUT` | `/auth/saml/role/:name`  |

### Parameters

- `name` `(string: <required>)` - URL parameter that provides the name of the role to create.
- `bound_subjects` `(string: <optional>)` - The subject being asserted for SAML
  authentication. One of the provided values must match the subject returned in
  the SAML assertion from the identity provider.
- `bound_subjects_type` `(string: <optional>)` - The type of matching assertion to perform
  on `bound_subjects`. If `string`, requires a direct string match. If `glob`, allows for
  wildcard matching using the `*` character.
- `bound_attributes` `(map: <optional>)` - Mapping of attribute names to values that are
  expected to exist in the SAML assertion. The expected value may be a single string or a
  comma-separated list of strings. The user will be authenticated if the SAML attributes
  match at least one of the expected values.
- `bound_attributes_type` `(string: "string")` - The type of matching assertion to perform
  on the key-value pairs provided by `bound_attributes`. If set to `string`, a direct string
  match is required. If set to `glob`, allows for wildcard matching using the `*` character.
- `groups_attribute` `(string: <optional>)` - The attribute to use to identify the set of
  groups to which the user belongs. This will be used as the names for the Identity group
  aliases created due to a successful login.

@include 'tokenfields.mdx'

### Sample payload

```json
{
  "bound_attributes": "group=admin",
  "bound_subjects": "*@hashicorp.com",
  "bound_subjects_type": "glob",
  "token_policies": "writer",
  "ttl": "1h"
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request PUT \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/saml/role/admin
```

## Read role

Reads a configured role.

| Method | Path                    |
| :----- |:------------------------|
| `GET`  | `/auth/saml/role/:name` |

### Parameters

- `name` `(string: <required>)` - URL parameter that provides the name of the
  role to read.

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request GET \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/saml/role/admin
```

### Sample response

```json
{
  "request_id": "3148ca9a-286e-a0a4-5a4b-31b6abb63d37",
  "lease_id": "",
  "lease_duration": 0,
  "renewable": false,
  "data": {
    "bound_attributes": {
      "group": [
        "admin"
      ]
    },
    "bound_attributes_type": "string",
    "bound_subjects": [
      "*@hashicorp.com"
    ],
    "bound_subjects_type": "glob",
    "groups_attribute": "",
    "token_bound_cidrs": [],
    "token_explicit_max_ttl": 0,
    "token_max_ttl": 0,
    "token_no_default_policy": false,
    "token_num_uses": 0,
    "token_period": 0,
    "token_policies": [
      "writer"
    ],
    "token_ttl": 0,
    "token_type": "default"
  },
  "warnings": null
}
```

## List roles

Lists all the configured roles.

| Method | Path              |
| :----- | :---------------- |
| `LIST` | `/auth/saml/role` |

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request GET \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/saml/role?list=true
```

### Sample response

```json
[
  "admin",
  "operations"
]
```

## Delete Role

Deletes a configured role.

| Method   | Path                    |
| :------- | :---------------------- |
| `DELETE` | `/auth/saml/role/:name` |

### Parameters

- `name` `(string: <required>)` - URL parameter that provides the name of the
  role to delete.

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request DELETE \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/saml/role/admin
```

## Obtain SSO service URL

Starts a login flow by providing a SAML Single Sign-On (SSO) Service URL for the
configured identity provider. The returned `token_poll_id` can be used to obtain
the Vault token after the user is authenticated with the identity provider and the
SAML response has passed validation.

<Note title="Unauthenticated">
A Vault token is not required to interact with this API.
</Note>

| Method  | Path                         |
|:--------|:-----------------------------|
| `POST`  | `/auth/saml/sso_service_url` |

### Parameters

- `role` `(string, <optional>)` - The role name to use for the login flow.
  Defaults to the role configured with `default_role`.
- `client_challenge` `(string, <required>)` - The client challenge value. Must be the
  output of a base64-encoded, sha256 digest of the `client_verifier` eventually provided
  to the [Token API](/vault/api-docs/auth/saml#obtain-vault-token). Must be at least 44
  bytes in length.
- `client_type` `(string, <required>)` - The type of the requesting client. The response
  from the Assertion Consumer Service [Callback API](/vault/api-docs/auth/saml#assertion-consumer-service-callback)
  will differ based on the provided type. If `cli`, an HTML success page will be returned
  in the response. If `browser`, a blank HTML page will be returned in the response.
- `acs_url` `(string, <required>)` - The URL where the identity provider will send its
  SAML response. Must be in the set of configured [`acs_urls`](/vault/api-docs/auth/saml#acs_urls).

### Sample payload

```json
{
  "acs_url": "https://my.vault/v1/auth/saml/callback",
  "client_challenge": "Z6+7owP80d1aHTha1kdixtT99JkvmG4TPSgbvDwZ70A=",
  "client_type": "cli",
  "role": "admin"
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request POST \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/saml/sso_service_url
```

### Sample response

```json
{
  "sso_service_url": "https://example.okta.com/app/abc123eb9xnIfzlaf697/id/sso/saml?RelayState=...&SAMLRequest=...",
  "token_poll_id": "ee442348-159b-df10-4c59-63050069df4d"
}
```

## Assertion consumer service callback

The assertion consumer service URL of the auth method. Completes the round trip from
the identity provider and performs validations on the SAML response.

<Note title="Unauthenticated">
A Vault token is not required to interact with this API.
</Note>

| Method  | Path                  |
|:--------|:----------------------|
| `POST`  | `/auth/saml/callback` |

### Parameters

- `RelayState` `(string, <required>)` - The relay state from the original SAML
  authentication request that was returned by the identity provider.
- `SAMLResponse` `(string, <required>)` - The signed SAML response from the identity
  provider.

### Sample payload

```json
{
  "RelayState": "0afe62a9-7b83-a182-0650-c749badfb900",
  "SAMLResponse": "..."
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request POST \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/saml/callback
```

## Obtain vault token

The token endpoint completes the login flow by returning a Vault token.

<Note title="Unauthenticated">
A Vault token is not required to interact with this API.
</Note>

| Method  | Path               |
|:--------|:-------------------|
| `POST`  | `/auth/saml/token` |

### Parameters

- `client_verifier` `(string, <required>)` - The value which produced the `client_challenge`
  provided to the [SSO Service URL API](/vault/api-docs/auth/saml#obtain-sso-service-url)
  at the start of the authentication flow. Its base64-encoded, sha256 digest must match the
  `client_challenge` value.
- `token_poll_id` `(string, <required>)` - The `token_poll_id` value returned from the
  [SSO Service URL API](/vault/api-docs/auth/saml#obtain-sso-service-url) at the start of
  the authentication flow.

### Sample payload

```json
{
  "client_verifier": "59634224-5869-6002-e0b1-35370b8f6b82",
  "token_poll_id": "ee442348-159b-df10-4c59-63050069df4d"
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request POST \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/saml/token
```

### Sample response

```json
{
  "request_id": "b16f7cf9-0970-2e64-69d6-f00d055e93c4",
  "lease_id": "",
  "lease_duration": 0,
  "renewable": false,
  "data": null,
  "warnings": null,
  "auth": {
    "client_token": "hvs.CAES...",
    "accessor": "Rl4gU4amxzBFpFBJixv8xJBK",
    "policies": [
      "default",
      "writer"
    ],
    "token_policies": [
      "default",
      "writer"
    ],
    "identity_policies": null,
    "metadata": {
      "role": "admin"
    },
    "orphan": true,
    "entity_id": "afd74442-6c48-3d2f-9449-689ce050ba88",
    "lease_duration": 3600,
    "renewable": true,
    "mfa_requirement": null
  }
}
```