Social Login - Authentication for your B2B SaaS apps

Social Login - Authentication for your B2B SaaS apps

Over the years, social logins have extended beyond end-user applications and made their way into the B2B landscape. As organizations aim to enhance user experience and simplify access management, social logins have become an attractive option.



This section explores social logins, various providers, and their growing popularity and significance in the B2B landscape. By discussing the benefits and challenges associated with social logins, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of this authentication method.


Overview

“Sign in with Google” and “Continue with Facebook” are classic examples of social logins. Also known as social authentication, social logins are a type of single sign-on (SSO) mechanism where information from a social networking platform is used to sign up or log in to your application. 


Popular social login providers include:

• Google
• Microsoft
• LinkedIn
• GitHub
• Twitter
• Amazon

Each of these providers offers similar features regarding data accessibility but has some additional features that organizations can consider while choosing a particular provider based on their requirements.

SSO with Social Login

Under the hood, social logins leverage OAuth2.0 or OpenID Connect protocols to share user information securely between Identity Providers and client applications. This provides secure authentication and authorization without exposing the user’s credentials to the application.

Let us consider a scenario where a user tries to log in via GitHub. Implementing this flow requires setting up the application with GitHub and getting the client ID and other endpoints you must configure. 

Example Flow

Consider a scenario where a user tries to log in via GitHub. Implementing this flow requires setting up the application with GitHub and obtaining the client ID and other endpoints you must configure.


Here’s how the social login flow would look.

1. The user opens an application and clicks the “Sign in with GitHub” button.

2. The app redirects the user to GitHub with your app’s client identifier and required permissions.

3. The user logs in to GitHub and is presented with a consent screen listing the permissions (e.g., read:user, user:email) the application is requesting. 

4. After the user approves, GitHub generates an authentication code and redirects the user back to the application with the authentication code in the parameter.
5. 
The application uses the code to fetch access and refresh tokens from GitHub. GitHub validates the code and tokens and returns them with an access token.

6. The application requests user details using the access token and logs the user into the application.


Below is what this flow looks like:

Why Implement Social Logins in B2B Applications?

Today, organizations use multiple tools, such as Asana for project management, Buffer for social media scheduling, and Google Analytics for tracking and analytics. Imagine if a user had to access all three apps.



Traditionally, they would log into each application separately, which was a cumbersome process. Today, IT admins can set up a Google account, which the user can use to log in to all these apps by just clicking the “Sign In With Google” button. 



This approach makes the signing process seamless and leverages Google’s robust authentication mechanism. Implementing Social Logins for B2B applications has a lot of benefits, including:


• Simplified Identity Management: By implementing social logins, organizations can delegate identity management and authentication to external providers, thus reducing their need for managing sensitive user credentials. Most external identity and authentication providers comply with industry standards and norms, and delegating services to them will ensure your application is compliant. 

• Enhanced Security: By delegating authentication to third-party providers, you reduce the risk of credential compromise, theft, and password reuse. Most social login providers also provide advanced features like multi-factor authentication, TOTP, etc., which help mitigate security risks.

• Improved Personalization: Social logins provide access to detailed user profiles and provide additional details that will help tailor and personalize the user experience for each individual user. With social logins, your applications have access to finer details that can help you with better targeting and relationship management.

• Seamless User Experience: One major reason for implementing social logins is the exceptional user experience. With one-click logins, users can access your applications without remembering passwords. This reduced friction leads to better user experience and adoption across devices.

Social Login Tips

Implementing social logins in B2B applications can positively impact user experience and simplify authentication. However, there are challenges to implementing social logins, whether you are new to it or want to enhance your existing implementation. Here are some tips and best practices to help you create a robust and user-friendly authentication system:


• Implement OAuth 2.0 Flow Correctly: Adhere to OAuth 2.0 best practices and leverage the Proof Key For Code Exchange flow for better security, especially with mobile apps to prevent CSRF attacks.

• Utilize Scopes & Claims Judiciously: Request only the permissions your application requires. Ask for additional permissions when needed. Avoid asking for unnecessary permissions, which may deter user interest and lead to compliance issues.

• Handle “Email_Verified” Claims Correctly: When receiving user information from the social login service provider, look at the “email_verified” claim, which denotes that the user’s email ID is verified. If it’s not verified, add an additional step/logic to validate the email ID.

• Handle Account Deletions: Implement processes to handle user account deletions and deactivations, as providing access to a deactivated social account is a security threat. Periodically ask the user to log in again and verify their social account.

• Implement Secure Token Management Practices: Secure processes to handle access and refresh tokens. Encrypt the tokens at rest and transfer them over secured channels.

• Implement Fallback Mechanisms: While you’ve delegated the authentication process to a third-party service provider, ensure that you implement fallback mechanisms so that if the user can’t use the provider, they have another alternative way to log in.

• Implement Rate Limiting: To avoid abuse and DDOS attacks, it’s important to implement rate limiting to social login endpoints. This helps keep your application and service provider’s service available.

• Monitor and Log Social Actions: Implement a comprehensive monitoring, alerting, and logging system that tracks successful and unsuccessful login attempts and permissions changes. This data is critical for compliance and auditing.



In this section, we examined social logins, their benefits in terms of user experience and improved security, and the typical SSO flow. We also discussed why it’s crucial to have social logins implemented in your B2B applications and shared some tips and best practices for providing a secure and seamless authentication experience to your users.