In a federated system, which two components serve as its core?

In a federated system, the core components are the Identity Provider (IdP) and the Relying Party. The Identity Provider is responsible for authenticating users and managing their identity information. It provides the necessary credentials or tokens that confirm a user’s identity to other parties involved in the process. On the other hand, the Relying Party is the entity that relies on the IdP to provide authenticated information about users. This relationship is crucial in federated identity scenarios, where the authentication occurs at the IdP, and various services or applications (the relying parties) trust the results of that authentication.

By combining these two components, a federated system efficiently allows multiple services to accept a single identity from a trusted source, facilitating seamless user experiences across different platforms. This model promotes interoperability and enhances security by centralizing the authentication process while allowing diverse applications to trust the identity provided by the IdP.