Switch edu-ID is a service offering in the Switch edu-ID federation. Currently edu-ID supports the SAML and the OIDC (OpenID Connect) protocol.
Since SAML is a legacy protocol and is no longer being actively maintained, we have been continuously extending our OIDC implementation in the past few years to support the same functionality for OIDC as for SAML.
Since Summer 2026, the range of functions in OIDC has been largely equivalent to that of SAML within the Switch edu-ID federation. We therefore recommend new services to implement OIDC if possible.
Regarding interfederation, there is currently no eduGAIN integration for OIDC, but there is work in progress internationally with the OpenID Federation trust framework. Please see our roadmap for further details. If your service requires intercompatibility with other federations, you have to use SAML for the time being, for which we are part of eduGAIN.
| SAML | OIDC (OpenID Connect) | |
|---|---|---|
| Future-oriented and actively maintained | No | Yes |
|
Single Sign-On (SSO) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Single Logout (for services supporting it) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Support for affiliation identity model |
Yes | Yes (since Summer 2026) |
|
Support for personal identity model |
Yes | Yes (since Summer 2026) |
|
Support for extended identity model |
Yes | Yes |
| Support for interfederation (international interoperability) | Yes (eduGAIN) | No (yet to be implemented) |
| Complex use cases with resource servers (OAuth 2.0) | No | Yes (contact us) |
| Friendly for mobile and single-page applications | No | Yes |
|
Instructions |
The instructions to set up a SAML service can be found here: (in compliance with Federation Technology Profiles) |
The instructions to set up an OIDC client can be found here: |