SCIM vs JIT: What’s the Difference

JIT (Just-In-Time) and SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) are both user provisioning strategies that automate account creation. While they might seem similar, they cater to different use cases. JIT creates a user account when a user signs in via Single Sign-On (SSO) for the first time, while SCIM not only creates accounts pre-login but also updates and deletes user accounts across various platforms from a central Directory Provider. SCIM is more comprehensive compared to JIT as it uses Directory Providers to manage all aspects of a user throughout their lifecycle from creating and updating user accounts to deleting them when the user is deprovisioned. It defines a standard schema to represent user and group identities and RESTful endpoints for communication, ensuring that your app (the service provider) and the IdP understand and interpret user data in the same way. JIT provisioning creates user accounts at the exact moment they are required, typically during the user's first SSO (Single Sign-On). It leverages the SSO process to trigger the creation of user accounts. JIT significantly cuts down on the administrative effort required to provision users – admins don’t have to manually create user accounts for every employee that needs access to your app, they get immediate access on their first login. SCIM and JIT can be used together to automate the user management process. JIT is primarily used to automate the user onboarding process by automating account creation while SCIM can be used to manage those users throughout their lifecycle — from the time they’re created to the time they’re deleted.