What's the difference between configure LDAP AD in Jira and use the microsoft plugin SAML SSO ?

Question

I want to connect our Microsoft AD to Jira and i found 2 options :

- Use LDAP configuration in Jira : https://confluence.atlassian.com/adminjiraserver076/connecting-to-an-ldap-directory-945111001.html

- Use a Microsoft plugin : https://docs.microsoft.com/fr-fr/azure/active-directory/saas-apps/jiramicrosoft-tutorial

What's the best option ?

Thanks

Jimmy Van (GLiNTECH) · Answer

Hi Julian, they're two pretty different things.

The simplest question to ask is, do you have Azure AD?

The first article you link is for connecting to your on premise identity servers, your local LDAP (most likely what you're looking for).

The second allows you to set up federated access to Jira with Azure AD, an Internet facing identity service that links back to your AD. It uses SAML. If that doesn't mean anything to you, try option A.