Set up SSO with Okta

Warning: This setup guide is deprecated. Please visit our documentation on Set up SSO with Okta Native App.

This step-by-step guide explains how to set up single sign-on (SSO) in Contentstack with Okta as your SAML 2.0 identity provider (IdP), using a custom SAML application in Okta.

You can attach up to five SAML 2.0 IdPs to a single Contentstack organization. Each IdP is a separate connection with its own certificate, session policy, role mapping, and login URL. This guide walks through one connection. To add and organize more connections, refer to Configure Multiple Identity Providers.

Prerequisites

• Contentstack account
• Okta administrator account
• The organization owner role, a security manager role, or a custom role with SSO write permissions in your Contentstack organization

What You Will Learn

• How to create a connection and generate the ACS URL in Contentstack.
• How to configure a custom Contentstack app in Okta as a SAML 2.0 IdP.
• How to import Okta's metadata into Contentstack instead of entering details by hand.
• How to map Okta roles to Contentstack roles (optional).
• How to test and enable SSO for your organization.

Steps to Set up SSO with Okta

The integration with Okta can be done in the following steps:

1. Create a Connection in Contentstack
2. Configure Contentstack App in Okta
3. Configure Okta details in Contentstack
4. Manage users access control in Okta
   1. Add application to users
   2. Add application to user groups for IdP Role Mapping
5. Create Role Mappings in Contentstack
6. Test and Enable SSO

Let's see each of the processes in detail.

1. Create a Connection in Contentstack

   Note: SSO can be configured by the organization owner, a security manager, or a user with a custom role that has SSO write permissions.

   1. Log in to your Contentstack account, open the App Switcher, go to Administration, and then click Single Sign-On.

      

      

   2. Add a connection to open the New Connection dialog, and enter the following details:

      • Connection Name: A friendly name shown across SSO surfaces. It does not affect login URLs. For example, "Acme Employees."
      • SSO ID: The unique identifier for this connection. Contentstack auto-generates it from the connection name, and you can edit it before you create the connection. Users enter it as one of the login parameters once SSO is enabled.
      • Description (optional): Context about this connection, up to 400 characters.

      Note: The SSO ID can contain only lowercase letters, numbers (0-9), and hyphens (-). You cannot change the SSO ID after you create the connection. SSO IDs are unique across all Contentstack organizations, so a name already in use elsewhere is rejected.

      Let's use "sso-test" as the SSO ID.

      

      

   3. Click Create.

      

   Contentstack opens the connection at 1. SSO Configuration and generates the Assertion Consumer Service (ACS) URL, along with read-only details such as Entity ID, SAML Version, Attributes, and NameID Format. You need these details in Step 2. Keep this window open.

   Note: The ACS URL contains this connection's SSO ID, so every connection in your organization has its own ACS URL. Use the ACS URL of the connection you are configuring.

   

   Tip: Instead of copying the ACS URL and Entity ID individually into Okta, share Contentstack's service provider (SP) metadata in one step. Use Download Metadata XML. If you enable SAML encryption on this connection, the downloaded metadata also carries the public certificate your IdP uses to encrypt assertions. You can download that certificate on its own from the Contentstack public certificate link. For details, refer to Download Contentstack (SP) Metadata.

2. Configure Contentstack App in Okta

   1. Log in to your Okta Admin account.

      

   2. After logging in, you will see the Okta dashboard. Click the Application tab and select Applications.

      

   3. On the Applications page, you will see your already created applications, if any.

      

   4. Click Add Application, and then click Create New App to create a new application for Contentstack.

      

   5. Set the Platform as Web, the Sign on method as SAML 2.0, and create your application.

      

   6. You will be redirected to the General Settings page of your application. Provide a name for your application, for example, Contentstack, add a logo, and click Next to proceed to configure SAML settings.

      Tip: In an organization with more than one connection, name each Okta app after the Contentstack connection it serves, for example "Contentstack (Acme Employees)." This keeps the app-to-connection pairing clear when you manage several tenants or populations.

      

   7. In the Configure SAML tab, under SAML Settings, provide the following details:

      1. Single Sign on URL: Paste the Assertion Consumer Service URL generated for this connection in Contentstack in Step 1.c.
      2. Audience URI (SP Entity ID): Enter Contentstack's Entity ID that you received in Step 1. In most cases, this value is https://app.contentstack.com.
      3. Default RelayState: Keep it blank.
      4. Name ID format: Select the EmailAddress option.
      5. Application username: Select the Email option.

      

   8. Click Show Advanced Settings, and in SAML Issuer ID, enter Contentstack's Entity ID, for example, https://app.contentstack.com.

   9. In ATTRIBUTE STATEMENTS (OPTIONAL), add three attributes: email, first_name, and last_name under Name, and select user.email, user.firstName, and user.lastName, respectively, under Value.

      

   10. [Optional step] If you want to create role mapping, then in the GROUP ATTRIBUTE STATEMENTS (OPTIONAL) section, under Name, enter "roles"; under Filter, select matches regex, add the key name as roles; and enter your regex term, for example, ^contentstack.([^\s]+)* (if all your Contentstack-specific users are assigned roles that start with "contentstack"). This retrieves all the groups that start with "contentstack."

       Note: Perform this step only if you want to enable IdP Role Mapping.

       

   11. Click Next, and then click Finish on the next screen.

3. Configuring Okta details in Contentstack

   Go to 2. IdP Configuration in Contentstack. You can provide Okta's details in one of three ways:

   • Metadata URL: Enter the Identity Provider metadata URL from the Okta app's setup instructions and click Fetch. Contentstack retrieves and parses the details. This is the fastest path, and Okta exposes a live metadata URL for each app.
   • Metadata XML: Upload the metadata file you downloaded from Okta. Use this when network rules prevent the browser from reaching the metadata URL.
   • Manual entry: Enter the Single Sign-On URL and certificate by hand, as described below.

   Tip: Importing metadata auto-populates the Single Sign-On URL, certificate, and related fields, which reduces manual entry and errors. Signature algorithm and SAML encryption are not part of IdP metadata, so you always set those by hand. For the full procedure and error handling, refer to Import IdP Metadata.

   To enter the details manually:

   1. In Okta, click the Sign On tab of the application you created in Step 2.

      

   2. Click View Setup Instructions to see the additional settings fields for your Contentstack application, and click Download Certificate.

      

   3. Copy the Identity Provider Single Sign-On URL. Then, in Contentstack, go to 2. IdP Configuration for this connection and paste the URL into the Single Sign-On URL field.

      

   4. Upload the X.509 certificate that you downloaded from Okta into the Certificate field.

      Warning: A connection stores one signing certificate. Contentstack shows its expiry date next to the field. When your IdP switches to a new signing certificate, every SAML assertion arrives signed by a certificate Contentstack does not recognize, and sign-in through this connection fails until you upload the new certificate here. Coordinate the replacement with the switch on the IdP side rather than waiting for the current certificate to expire.

   5. Under Signature Algorithm, select the algorithm Okta uses. Available options are SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512.

      Note: The Single Sign-On URL must use HTTPS.

   6. (Optional) Turn on SAML encryption to encrypt your SAML attributes. SAML encryption is configured per connection.

   7. Click Save.

   Note: The organization owner can always sign in with Contentstack credentials, regardless of SSO status. If SSO login fails after a certificate update, the owner can sign back in and restore the previous configuration.

   That's it. Now, let's see how to assign your Contentstack application to your users in Okta.

4. Manage users access control in Okta

   After setting the necessary configurations in Contentstack, you need to assign the newly added application to your users.

   A – Add application to users

   1. Go to the Assignments tab of your application, click the Assign dropdown, and select Assign to People.

      

   2. You will get a list of registered users to whom you need to assign your application. Click Assign beside the user to whom you want to assign the application, and click Done.

      

   3. You may also use multiple application assignments available under Applications > Assign applications.

   Note: Assign only the users who authenticate through this connection. In an organization with more than one connection, a user is identified by email address across every IdP, and the same email cannot map to different users in different IdPs.

   With this, you are done with setting up the Contentstack app in Okta. Proceed to configuring the remaining steps in Contentstack SSO in Step 6.

   But if you want to perform IdP Role Mapping and allow user groups to sign in to your SSO-enabled organization directly (without an invitation) with the assigned permissions, perform Step 4.B.

   B - Add application to user groups for IdP Role Mapping

   Perform this step only if IdP Role Mapping is part of your Contentstack plan.

   IdP Role Mapping is an alternate way of managing users and permissions of your SSO-enabled organization. This feature allows you to map your IdP roles to Contentstack roles while configuring a connection.

   1. Go to the Assignments tab of your application, click the Assign dropdown in the application details section, and select Assign to Groups.

   2. You will see a list of registered groups. Click Assign beside the groups to which you need to assign your application. Click Done.

   You can now proceed to create role mappings in Contentstack for the IdP roles you created. Go to the 3. User Management step of this connection and perform Step 5.

   

   

5. Create Role Mappings in Contentstack

   Go to 3. User Management to define how users access your SSO-enabled organization through this connection. This step covers Strict Mode, User Email Whitelists, Session Time-Out, and Advanced Settings.

   1. Strict Mode: Enable Strict Mode if you do not want any user to access the organization without SSO login.

      Note: Strict mode is set per connection, but it takes effect across the whole organization. If any enabled connection has strict mode on, the entire organization is SSO-only. Because of this, only one connection can hold the strict mode toggle at a time, and enabling strict mode on one connection disables the toggle on the others. Disabling a connection that has strict mode on removes strict mode for the organization, because a disabled connection does not contribute to the organization's strict state.

   2. User Email Whitelists: Lets specified users access APIs even when strict mode is enabled. This setting is organization-scoped and applies only when strict mode is enabled, so the field appears only under the User Management step of the connection that has strict mode enabled. Enter up to 100 email addresses separated by commas, for example, user1@example.com, user2@example.com. Each address must belong to an accepted, non-owner member of the organization.

      Note: This is a plan-based feature. For access, contact our support team.

   3. Session Time-Out: The Session Time-Out option lets you define the session duration for a user signed in through this connection. The default is 12 hours, and you can set any value between 1 and 24 hours. This setting applies per connection, so different user populations can have different session lengths.

      

   4. Advanced Settings: Click Advanced Settings to expand the IdP Role Mapping section and map Okta roles to Contentstack roles.

      1. In the Add Role Mapping section, click + ADD ROLE MAPPING to add a new IdP role mapping, and enter the following details:

         • IdP Role Identifier: Enter the IdP group or role identifier, for example, "Contentstack Developers." This must match the name of the group assigned to the application in Okta.
         • Assign Product Roles: Assign Contentstack roles per product. For each product, such as CMS, Personalize, Agent OS, and Administration, click Manage Roles and select the roles this IdP group receives. For the Administration product, at least one role is required, and the Member role is selected by default.

         Note: The available products and roles depend on your Contentstack plan and the applications enabled for your organization.

         Likewise, you can add more role mappings, up to 200 per connection. To add a new role mapping, click + ADD ROLE MAPPING and enter the details.

      2. Keep Role Delimiter blank, as Okta usually returns roles in an array.

      3. Select the Enable IdP Role Mapping checkbox to enable the feature.

         Warning: Once IdP Role Mapping is on, a user whose assertion carries no role matching any mapping is denied sign-in through this connection. Organization owners are exempt, so a successful test as the owner does not prove that other users can sign in. Before you enable it, confirm that every group you expect to sign in has a matching mapping and that the Role Delimiter matches what your IdP sends.

   5. Click Next to continue.

   Note: Role mapping is configured per connection. The roles applied to a user come from the connection that user signed in through, not from the union of every connection in the organization. For how IdP Role Mapping interacts with SCIM provisioning, refer to IdP Role Mapping.

6. Test and Enable SSO

   Next, you can try out the "Test SSO" and "Enable SSO" steps in Contentstack.

   Test SSO

   Before enabling this connection, it is recommended that you test the settings configured so far. To do so, perform the following steps:

   1. Click Test SSO. Contentstack opens the Login via SSO page, where you specify this connection's SSO ID.
   2. Click Continue to go to your IdP sign-in page.
   3. Sign in to your account. If you are able to sign in to your IdP, your test is successful. On successful connection, you will see a success message.

      

   4. If you have enabled IdP Role Mapping, you will find the following details on a new page:

      • SSO connection established successfully: A success message is displayed.
      • IdP Roles received: The list of all the roles assigned to you in your IdP.
      • Contentstack-IdP role mapping details: The details of all the Contentstack roles mapped to your IdP roles.

   5. Click Close. Now, you can safely enable this connection.

   Note: While testing with IdP Role Mapping enabled, the test is performed only for the IdP roles of the currently signed-in user.

   Enable SSO

   Once you have tested your settings, click Enable SSO to enable this connection. Confirm your action by clicking Yes.

   Once enabled, users can access the organization through this connection. You can disable it from the same page at any time.

   Note: The first connection you enable becomes the organization's primary connection. In an organization with more than one connection:

   • Every organization invitation email contains a single SSO login link, the one for the primary connection. Distribute the login URL of each non-primary connection to the users who authenticate through it.
   • You cannot disable the primary connection while other active connections exist. To turn off SSO for the whole organization, disable every secondary connection first, and then disable the primary connection.

   For the full set of connection actions, refer to Manage SSO Connections.

   

   

Additional Resource: To add more identity providers, refer to Configure Multiple Identity Providers. To set up Okta using the native Contentstack app from the Okta App Catalog, refer to Set up SSO with Okta Native App.