GitHub Enterprise cloud application

Using the SAML 2.0 standard, you can configure single sign-on (SSO) for a number of cloud apps. After you set up SSO, your users can use their Google Workspace credentials to sign in to an app using SSO.

Use SAML to set up SSO for GitHub Enterprise

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You must be signed in as a super administrator for this task.

Step 1: Set up Google as a SAML identity provider 

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using an account with super administrator privileges (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  AppsWeb and mobile apps.
3. Click Add appSearch for apps.
4. For Enter app name, enter GitHub Enterprise.
5. In the search results, point to GitHub Enterprise (SAML) and click Select. 
6. In the Google Identity Provider details window, for Option 2: Copy the SSO URL, entity ID, and certificate:
   1. Next to SSO URL, click Copy  and save the URL.
   2. Next too Entity ID, click Copy  and save the URL.
   3. Next to Certificate, click Download  to download the certificate.
      You need these details to complete the setup in GitHub Enterprise.
7. Click Continue.
8. On the Service provider details page, for ACS URL and Entity ID,  replace {your-organization} with your GitHub Enterprise organization name.
9. Click Continue.
10. In the Attribute Mapping window, click Select field and map the following Google directory attributes to their corresponding GitHub Enterprise attributes. The firstName and lastName attributes are required.

    Google directory attributes	App attributes
    Basic Information > First Name	firstName*
    Basic Information > Last Name	lastName*

11. (Optional) To add additional mappings, click Add Mapping and select the fields that you need to map.
12. (Optional) To enter group names that are relevant for this app:

    1. For Group membership (optional), click Search for a group, enter one or more letters of the group name, and select the group name.
    2. Add additional groups as needed (maximum of 75 groups).
    3. For App attribute, enter the service provider’s corresponding groups attribute name.

    Regardless of how many group names you enter, the SAML response will include only groups that a user is a member of (directly or indirectly). For more information, go to About group membership mapping.

13. Click Finish.

Step 2: Set up GitHub Enterprise as a SAML 2.0 service provider

1. Open an Incognito browser window and go to the GitHub Enterprise sign-in page and sign in with your GitHub Enterprise administrator account.
2. Click your usernameSettings.
3. Click your organization nameSecurity.
4. For SAML single sign-on:
   • In the Sign on URL field, paste the SSO URL that you copied earlier.
   • In the Issuer field, paste the entity ID that you copied earlier.
   • In the Public certificate field, copy the certificate that you downloaded earlier.
5. Click Test SAML configuration to verify your settings.
6. Check the Enable SAML authentication box.
7. Click Save.

Step 3: Turn on app for users

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using an account with super administrator privileges (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  AppsWeb and mobile apps.
3. Click GitHub Enterprise.
4. Click User access.

5. To turn a service on or off for everyone in your organization, click On for everyone or Off for everyone, and then click Save.

6. (Optional) To turn a service on or off for an organizational unit:

   1. At the left, select the organizational unit.
   2. To change the Service status, select On or Off.
   3. Choose one:
      • If the Service status is set to Inherited and you want to keep the updated setting, even if the parent setting changes, click Override.
      • If the Service status is set to Overridden, either click Inherit to revert to the same setting as its parent, or click Save to keep the new setting, even if the parent setting changes.
        Note: Learn more about organizational structure.
7. To turn on a service for a set of users across or within organizational units, select an access group. For details, go to Use groups to customize service access.
8. Ensure that your GitHub Enterprise user account email domains match the primary domain of your organization’s managed Google Account.

Step 4: Verify SSO is working

GitHub Enterprise supports both identity provider-initiated and service provider-initiated SSO.  

Verify identity provider-initiated SSO

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using an account with super administrator privileges (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  AppsWeb and mobile apps.
3. Click GitHub Enterprise.
4. In the GitHub Enterprise section, click Test SAML login. 

   The app should open in a separate tab. If it doesn’t, troubleshoot the error message and try again. For details on troubleshooting, go to SAML app error messages.

Verify service provider-initiated SSO

1. Close all browser windows.
2. Open https://github.com/orgs/{your-organization}/sso and attempt to sign in. You should be automatically redirected to the Google sign-in page.
3. Enter your sign in credentials.

   After your sign in credentials are authenticated, you are automatically redirected to GitHub Enterprise.

4. Sign in with your personal GitHub account credentials.

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