Identity and Access Management (IAM) forms the foundation of application security, governing how users authenticate, how their identity is verified, and what resources they can access. In cloud-native .NET applications, identity management extends beyond simple username/password authentication to encompass multi-factor authentication, federated identity providers, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and claims-based authorization patterns.
Modern identity solutions integrate with enterprise directory services like Azure Active Directory (Azure AD/Entra ID), implement single sign-on (SSO) capabilities, and enforce least-privilege access principles. .NET developers working with ASP.NET Core Identity, Azure AD B2C, or IdentityServer face critical decisions about token lifetimes, session management, refresh token rotation, and consent management that directly impact both security posture and user experience.
Core Identity Concepts
Authentication vs. Authorization: Authentication proves who you are (identity verification), while authorization determines what you can do (access control). Both must work together to enforce security policies effectively.
Claims-Based Identity: Modern applications represent user identity as a collection of claims (key-value pairs) rather than rigid role hierarchies, enabling fine-grained access control and dynamic permission evaluation.
Federated Identity: Delegating authentication to external identity providers (Microsoft, Google, GitHub) reduces password management burden while maintaining security through standardized protocols like SAML and OpenID Connect.
Identity in Compliance
Identity management intersects with multiple compliance frameworks. ISO/IEC 27001 Control A.9 mandates formal access control policies, ISO/IEC 27701 requires consent management for personal data processing, and GDPR Article 32 demands appropriate authentication measures. Healthcare applications must implement HIPAA-compliant identity solutions, while financial services face PCI DSS requirements for multi-factor authentication.
.NET applications implementing proper identity patterns demonstrate compliance through audit trails of authentication events, documented authorization policies, and secure credential storage using services like Azure Key Vault.
Related Topics
Identity management connects deeply with authentication, security, privacy, compliance, and azure infrastructure. For .NET-specific implementations, see dotnet and csharp.