Azure SSO,use an Alibaba Cloud account to log into Azure

Question

Azure SSO,use an Alibaba Cloud account to log into Azure

凯旋李 0

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How can this be integrated with Alibaba Cloud's IDaaS service? Please kindly provide guidance. Thank you.Can I use an Alibaba Cloud account to log into Azure? For example, is it possible to invite an Alibaba Cloud account as an external user in Azure?

凯旋李 0 Reputation points

2025-06-05T06:05:23.1266667+00:00

I want to integrate Alibaba's IDaaS service with Azure using the SAML protocol, so that users can log in to Azure using their Alibaba Cloud accounts.
Deepanshu katara 16,720 Reputation points MVP Moderator

2025-06-05T06:14:40.3166667+00:00

Hello , Welcome to MS Q&A

I think You cannot directly use an Alibaba Cloud account to log into Azure or invite one as a guest (B2B external user) in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). Azure's external collaboration is primarily designed for:

Microsoft accounts (e.g., Outlook, Hotmail)

Google accounts (via federation)

Identities from SAML 2.0 / WS-Federation providers (via direct federation)

Alibaba Cloud IDaaS is not natively supported.

📘 Reference: Set up direct federation with a SAML-based identity provider

Please check and let us know if any question.

Thanks
Deepanshu

2 answers

Your answer

凯旋李 0 Reputation points

2025-06-05T06:05:23.1266667+00:00

I want to integrate Alibaba's IDaaS service with Azure using the SAML protocol, so that users can log in to Azure using their Alibaba Cloud accounts.
Deepanshu katara 16,720 Reputation points MVP Moderator

2025-06-05T06:14:40.3166667+00:00

Hello , Welcome to MS Q&A

I think You cannot directly use an Alibaba Cloud account to log into Azure or invite one as a guest (B2B external user) in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). Azure's external collaboration is primarily designed for:

Microsoft accounts (e.g., Outlook, Hotmail)

Google accounts (via federation)

Identities from SAML 2.0 / WS-Federation providers (via direct federation)

Alibaba Cloud IDaaS is not natively supported.

📘 Reference: Set up direct federation with a SAML-based identity provider

Please check and let us know if any question.

Thanks
Deepanshu

Answer 1

Abiola Akinbade 29,490 Volunteer Moderator

Hello and thanks for your question

No this is not possible. It can only be done the other way round.

You can integrate Alibaba Cloud IDaaS via SAML if Azure is configured as a Service Provider for SSO

The possibility is Using Alibaba Cloud Service (Role-based SSO) for Single sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/saas-apps/alibaba-cloud-service-role-based-sso-tutorial?source=recommendations

You can mark it 'Accept Answer' and 'Upvote' if this helped you

Regards,

Abiola

凯旋李 0 Reputation points

2025-06-05T07:55:24.7833333+00:00

Does Azure actually support Alibaba Cloud IDaaS as a third party for login? Both Alibaba Cloud and Azure support the SAML protocol, so is it still not achievable by configuring Direct Federation https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/external-id/direct-federation? Additionally, I would like to understand the use cases related to this configuration. Specifically, what are the application scenarios for the SAML protocol here?
凯旋李 0 Reputation points

2025-06-05T09:29:16.9833333+00:00

After integrating a custom SAML protocol, how is it used?
Sanoop M 4,310 Reputation points Moderator

2025-06-05T09:36:22.6533333+00:00
Hello 凯旋李,

Thank you for your response.

After integrating a custom SAML protocol, you can either follow the below steps based on the type of tenant.

External tenants: Add the SAML/WS-Fed identity provider to a user flow.

Workforce tenants: Learn more about the invitation redemption experience when external users sign in with various identity providers.

Please let me know if you have any queries.
Sanoop M 4,310 Reputation points Moderator

2025-06-06T07:25:28.54+00:00

Hello 凯旋李,

I am following up to check whether if you had a chance to review my above comment. Please let me know if you have any additional queries.

Answer 2

Sanoop M 4,310 Moderator

Hello 凯旋李,

Thank you for your response.

No it is not possible to directly add Alibaba Cloud IDaaS as a third party IDP for login.

But you can configure SAML/WS-Fed IdP federation by clicking on SAML/WS-Fed as mentioned in the below Screenshot.

显示用于添加新 SAML 或 WS-Fed IdP 的按钮的屏幕截图。

User's image

Please follow the below document for detailed guide.

Add a SAML/WS-Fed identity provider - Microsoft Entra External ID | Microsoft Learn

After integrating a custom SAML protocol, you can either follow the below steps based on the type of tenant.

External tenants: Add the SAML/WS-Fed identity provider to a user flow.
Workforce tenants: Learn more about the invitation redemption experience when external users sign in with various identity providers.

Please let me know if you have any queries.

Sanoop M 4,310 Reputation points Moderator

2025-06-10T11:55:03.51+00:00

Hello 凯旋李,

I am just checking in to see if the above provided information is helpful.

Please let me know if you have any additional queries.

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Azure SSO,use an Alibaba Cloud account to log into Azure

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