Github - Github SSO

About

This guide explains what you need to do as a user to turn on and use SSO (single sign-on) for the Company GitHub organization.

What is SSO, and why do we use it?

SSO means you log in to GitHub with your Office 365 account, the same one you use for email, instead of a separate GitHub login for the organization. We do this for two reasons:

• Security: one login that IT can protect and control.
• Easier onboarding and offboarding: when someone starts or leaves, IT only has to add or remove one account.

What will I have to do to complete the setup? (It is important to complete all steps to avoid any problems!)

What changes for you

• When you open the GitHub organization, you have to sign in with your Office 365 Company ID.
• When you use the git command-line tool, your normal password no longer works. You must use either an SSH key or a personal access token instead.

Important: Complete all the steps below. If you skip one, some things will stop working and the error messages can be confusing.

1. Enroll your account with SSO
Open the GitHub organization in your browser. You should see a banner at the top asking you to authenticate your account.

• Click Authenticate your account.
• If you are asked, enter your Office 365 login details. If you are already signed in to Office 365, it is approved automatically.
• If you do not see the banner, go to this page instead: https://github.com/orgs/fintechinnovationas/sso

2. Choose how you want to log in with git
Pick one of these. Both work, so choose the one you prefer:

• SSH key: a pair of files on your computer that prove who you are, so you don’t type a password. Follow this guide to create one and add it to GitHub: Generating a new SSH key
• Personal access token: a long, random text that you use instead of a password. Follow this guide to create one: Creating a personal access token
  • On a Mac: put the token into your github.com entry in Keychain Access, so you don’t need to type it every time.

3. Authorize your SSH key or token for the organization
This step is easy to forget. A new key or token does not work with our organization until you authorize it for SSO. Follow the guide that matches your choice in step 2:

• Authorize an SSH key for SSO
• Authorize a personal access token for SSO

And you are done. 😄

Sources

• GitHub’s guide to SAML single sign-on: https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/authenticating-with-saml-single-sign-on/about-authentication-with-saml-single-sign-on
• GitHub’s guide to SSH keys: https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/about-ssh
• GitHub’s guide to personal access tokens: https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/keeping-your-account-and-data-secure/managing-your-personal-access-tokens