External authentication: Active Directory and OAuth with FileMaker Server
ExpertAllow users to sign in to FileMaker using their Active Directory, Open Directory, or OAuth credentials instead of managing separate FileMaker passwords.
What you'll learn
- How external authentication works in FileMaker's security model
- How to configure a privilege set for external group authentication
- The limitations of external authentication and common failure modes
External authentication lets FileMaker delegate login to an identity provider — Active Directory, Apple Open Directory, or OAuth providers like Google or Microsoft. Users log in with their corporate credentials; FileMaker validates them against the directory rather than checking a stored password.
How external authentication works
When a user logs in to a FileMaker file with external authentication, FileMaker passes the credentials to the directory server (Active Directory, LDAP, Open Directory). If authentication succeeds, FileMaker checks whether the user's directory group is mapped to a privilege set in the file. If a matching group is found, the user is granted that privilege set's access. No FileMaker password is stored.
Sign in to track your progress and pick up where you left off.
Sign in to FM Dojo