> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.e6data.com/query-engine/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.e6data.com/query-engine/guides/security/authentication.md).

# Authentication

How users sign in to e6data - local accounts, single sign-on, and TLS.

e6data supports multiple authentication methods. Most production tenants use SSO via an identity provider; local accounts are also available.

## Sign-in methods

| Method                   | Use case                                                                                          |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Local accounts**       | Default for new tenants; users sign in with email + a one-time passcode (OTP) sent to their inbox |
| **Single Sign-On (SSO)** | Recommended for organizations with an existing IdP                                                |
| **Service Token**        | Programmatic access - REST API                                                                    |

## In this section

* [Single sign-on](/query-engine/guides/security/authentication/sso-setup.md) - supported IdPs and setup guides
* [Domain auto-join and JIT provisioning](/query-engine/guides/security/authentication/domain-auto-join-and-jit.md) - auto-join by email domain and provision SSO users on first sign-in
* [TLS certificates](/query-engine/guides/security/authentication/tls-certificates.md) - endpoint certificate management

## SSO is recommended

For any tenant with more than a few users, configure SSO. It:

* Centralizes user lifecycle in your IdP - a user deactivated there can no longer sign in or refresh tokens; existing sessions stay valid until they expire (refresh-token TTL defaults to 24 hours)
* Captures your IdP's group claims at sign-in - e6data roles are still assigned in access-control settings, not auto-mapped from IdP groups
* Integrates with your existing MFA, conditional access, and compliance policies

See [Single sign-on](/query-engine/guides/security/authentication/sso-setup.md) for supported providers.

## Authentication vs authorization

| Concept                                                                                  | What it controls                                 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| **Authentication** (this section)                                                        | Who you are - proves identity at sign-in         |
| **Authorization** ([Access control](/query-engine/guides/security/identity-and-rbac.md)) | What you can do - controls actions after sign-in |

Both work together: authentication establishes identity; access control determines what that identity can read, edit, or run.

## See also

* [Access control](/query-engine/guides/security/identity-and-rbac.md)
* [Personal access tokens](/query-engine/guides/security/access-tokens/pat-and-service-account-keys.md)


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