Secure Baserow with SSO: SAML, Okta, and Azure AD

Implementing a robust security layer is a top priority for any growing organization. As your team expands, managing individual credentials becomes a bottleneck for both IT departments and team members. Single Sign-On (SSO) solves this by centralizing data governance rules and streamlining how your organization’s data is accessed.

By integrating Baserow with your Identity Provider (IdP), you create a seamless user experience while maintaining granular control over who can access your workspace.

Value of SSO and SAML

Modern business processes require high-velocity data integration without sacrificing safety. Traditional email-and-password logins often create security gaps, such as weak passwords or accounts that remain active after an employee leaves.

Integrating Baserow with protocols like SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, or OpenID Connect (OIDC) allows you to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. It ensures that your customer data remains protected behind the same security measures used across your entire enterprise suite, such as Okta, Azure AD, or Google Workspace.

Granular Security and Access Management

Baserow isn’t just about simple logins; it’s about controlling access at scale. When you utilize SSO, you benefit from:

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Automatically align Baserow permissions with your corporate directory.
• Just-In-Time (JIT) Provisioning: Automatically create accounts for new employees the moment they first log in, ensuring they have immediate access to the form designer and data entry tools they need.
• Centralized Deprovisioning: Instantly restrict access to all company data flows by disabling a single account in your central dashboard.

Strengthening Your Security Layer

For organizations with strict data protection requirements, Baserow allows you to disable standard email/password logins entirely. This forces all API requests and manual logins through your SSO provider, ensuring that granular access controls are strictly enforced.

To maintain the integrity of your management system, we recommend regular audits of your authentication providers to ensure only authorized restful apis and users are allowed to exchange data.

Deployment and Integration

Whether you are using Baserow Cloud or a Self-hosted instance, the integration for SSO is designed to be straightforward.

• SAML 2.0: Best for enterprise-grade tools like Okta or Entra ID (Azure AD).
• OAuth 2.0 & OIDC: Ideal for organizations leveraging Google, GitHub, or GitLab for identity.

By limiting access to verified corporate identities, you add a critical security layer to your field-level security and field permissions strategy, ensuring that only the right people interact with specific datasets.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I force employees to use SSO instead of passwords for database access?

To eliminate the risk of weak passwords and unauthorized entry, Baserow administrators can completely disable standard “Email and password” logins. This strict access management ensures that all users and all API requests must be authenticated exclusively through your chosen Identity Provider (IdP), like Okta or Azure AD.

Do I have to pay Enterprise pricing just to get SSO in my database?

Many platforms like Airtable and Monday.com lock Single Sign-On behind their highest-tier Enterprise plans; often referred to as the “SSO tax.” Baserow offers robust SSO capabilities (including SAML and OAuth) at more accessible tiers, allowing growing organizations to secure their data governance without drastically inflating their software budget.

How does Single Sign-On work with field-level permissions?

While SSO acts as the front door, authenticating who is allowed into your workspace, Baserow’s internal role-based access control (RBAC) and field-level security determine what they can see once inside. For example, an employee might log in via Google Workspace, but field-level permissions will still hide sensitive columns (like salaries) from their view.

Will I lose my existing account data if my team switches to an SSO login?

No. Baserow intelligently matches user identities based on their email address. If an employee has been logging in manually and you switch your organization to SSO, Baserow will automatically link the SSO authentication to their existing account. Their user experience, saved views, and data remain perfectly intact.

Can I configure different SSO providers for different departments?

Yes. If your engineering team uses GitHub or GitLab for identity management, but your marketing and operations teams use Google Workspace, Baserow allows you to configure multiple SSO providers simultaneously. This gives you granular control over how different teams access your centralized data flows.

Ready to enhance your workspace security? View the Baserow SSO documentation.