- Administration abilities within Microsoft Entra.
- Super-admin user role within Hudu.
- All users are provisioned in Entra with the same exact email address. We don't create new user accounts with SSO.
- Microsoft Account with Entra ID Premium activated.
- If JIT Provisioning is not enabled, ensure that the users have already been created in Hudu before starting this process.
Just-in-Time (JIT) Provisioning
Hudu supports Just-in-Time (JIT) provisioning for users signing in through SSO. When a user logs in for the first time via your identity provider, their account will be automatically created based on the attributes and group memberships passed during authentication.
Visit Just-in-Time (JIT) Provisioning for additional information on enabling JIT provisioning in Hudu.
How to Enable SSO
- Login to Hudu and click the Admin tab on the top toolbar.
- Click Security.
- Click Configure SAML/SSO.
- Turn Single Sign-On to On.
- Enter SAML details. See the relevant section below on how to fill this information out.
- Click Save.
Configuring Entra ID
- In Microsoft Azure:
- Navigate to Microsoft Entra ID → Enterprise Applications.
- Click to add a + New Application → Create your own application.
- On the next screen, give your application a name, and click on Integrate any other application you don't find in the gallery (Non-gallery).
- If you don't have Entra Premium, you won't be able to add a name.
- Click Users and Groups and assign users to this application. Click + Add User to add users.
- Remember, users must have the same exact e-mail address as their Hudu account e-mail address.
- Then, click Single sign-on to configure SSO. Click SAML.
-
Basic SAML Configuration:
- Click the Pencil Icon next to Basic SAML Configuration.
- Enter the following in the fields:
- Identifier (Entity ID): Enter your Hudu URL, e.g. https://docs.mywebsite.com
-
Reply URL (Assertion Consumer Service URL): Enter
https://docs.mywebsite.com/saml/consume -
Sign-on URL: Enter
https://docs.mywebsite.com - Relay State: You can skip filling this in.
- Logout URL: Enter a URL where Hudu can redirect users after they sign out.
- Make sure to replace docs.mywebsite.com with your URL and subdomain. There is also no trailing slash at the end of the URL.
-
User Attributes & Claims:
- Click the Pencil Icon next to the User Attributes & Claims box.
- Click on Unique User Identifier (Name ID).
- If it's not already, set the Source attribute to user.userprincipalname and click Save.
- Please note that the user's UPN must match their email to use this source attribute.
-
SAML Signing Certificate:
- Click the Pencil Icon next to the SAML Signing Certificate box.
- Enter an e-mail to receive notifications and click Save.
-
Final Setup:
- Finally, the 4th box that says Set up <application-name> will contain the information that needs to be inputted into your Hudu admin area → Security → SSO Settings.
Configuring Hudu
- In Hudu, with a user role of Admin or Super Admin:
- Navigate to your Hudu admin area → Security → SAML/SSO Configure.
- Provide Identity Provider (IdP) information:
- This is the information from the final setup step above.
-
SAML Issuer URL: This is what Entra ID calls their "Microsoft Entra Identifier." Copy this exactly into Hudu.
- This SHOULD include the trailing "/".
- SAML Login Endpoint: This is what Entra ID calls their "Login URL." Copy this exactly into Hudu.
- SAML Logout Endpoint: This is what Entra ID calls their "Logout URL." Copy this exactly into Hudu.
-
SAML Fingerprint:
- Download and copy the PEM certificate and paste it into the SAML Certificate field. Make sure there is no extra space trailing at the end!
- To locate the PEM certificate download, select the pencil icon for SAML certificates and click the three dots in the corner. Select PEM certificate download.
- Download and copy the PEM certificate and paste it into the SAML Certificate field. Make sure there is no extra space trailing at the end!
The thumbprint given in the SAML Signing Certificate box is the SHA-1 fingerprint. To calculate the SHA-256 fingerprint:
- Open OneLogin's fingerprint calculator and go to Fingerprint → Calculate X.509 Fingerprint.
- Select the SHA-256 algorithm, and copy the fingerprint provided (formatted or not).
- In Hudu, make sure you click Use SHA-256.
- SAML Certificate: This is provided by Entra ID, and should be the same certificate used to configure the fingerprint; copy this exactly.
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- and -----END CERTIFICATE----- should be included.
SAML ARN: This signifies the authentication context Hudu provides to the IdP. AuthnContext is the method a user signs in with (for example, password or passwordless). Requested authentication context may be required by your IdP, but it is typically optional.
The IdP doesn't tell Hudu how it identified the user. If any of your users sign in to your IdP with passwordless login, select this option.
The IdP authenticates the user with a username and password.
The IdP authenticates the user with a username and password, protected by SSL/TLS.
- Click Enable Single Sign-On.
- Hit Update SAML Details and SAML should now be activated.
Testing SAML
- Open an incognito or private browsing window and navigate to your Hudu URL.
- Enter the email address of a user who is required to use SSO and click Next. You should be redirected to Microsoft.
- If you're signed in to Hudu after authenticating, your SAML configuration is working.
- You can also click Test SAML from within your Hudu SAML app in Entra ID.
- Before requiring SSO, make sure every admin account exists in your Entra tenant with the same email address as their Hudu account.
Additional Settings
You have the option to select groups to exempt from SSO. Members of exempt groups sign in with their Hudu password. Portal users are always exempt, and admins always have the option to sign in with their Hudu password. The exception is an admin who isn't in your Entra tenant when SSO is required. That admin is locked out until they're added to the tenant.
Entra ID signing certificates expire periodically and can also be rotated manually. When that happens, update both Hudu fields together:
- In Entra ID, download the new PEM certificate from the SAML Signing Certificate section.
- In Hudu, go to Admin → Security → SAML/SSO Configure.
- Paste the new PEM certificate into the SAML Certificate field.
- Regenerate the SHA-256 fingerprint from the new certificate and update the SAML Fingerprint field.
- Click Update SAML Details.
FAQ
Answer: Hudu now routes every user by email address. Enter your email on the login page, and Hudu sends you to your identity provider or asks for your password, depending on how your account is set up.
Answer: Change SAML ARN to Do Not Pass RequestedAuthnContext (in Hudu).
Notes: Entra ID is restricting access due to the user's authentication context (the method by which they’re logging in). Likely the SAML ARN is set to Password or Password-ProtectedTransport, and the user is using some form of “passwordless” login. Entra ID rejects this because the user is not entering a username/password.
Answer:
If you see “Single Sign-On Authentication Failed,” the certificate thumbprint is incorrect. To fix this:
- Navigate to the SAML Certificates section of your application.
- Click Edit, then the three dots in the modal on the right-hand side.
- Download the PEM certificate.
- Use a fingerprint tool to calculate the correct fingerprint.
- Enter the corrected fingerprint into your SSO settings in Hudu.
- Test again — the login should now succeed.
Answer: This happens when a user's email address isn't in your Entra tenant or isn't assigned to the Hudu enterprise application. Because SSO is configured, Hudu sends the user to Microsoft, and Microsoft doesn't return an error Hudu can display. If SSO is required, this applies to admins too. An admin who isn't in the tenant is locked out until they're added.
To fix this, add the user to your Entra tenant with the same email address as their Hudu account. Then assign them to the Hudu application under Users and groups. Another admin who is in the tenant can then confirm the user's account in Hudu if needed.