Citrix Cloud™

Directly Connecting the SAML Provider to Citrix Cloud VS IDP Chaining

Is IDP chaining supported for SAML login to Workspace or Citrix Cloud?

IDP chaining is supported provided the closest SAML IDP in the IDP chain is configured correctly and forwards SAML requests from Citrix Cloud onwards in the IDP chain, and the IDP chain returns the correct SAML response to Citrix Cloud.

Examples of IDP chains

  • Citrix Cloud → F5 (directly connected to Citrix Cloud as the SAML provider) → Federated to Entra ID
  • Citrix Cloud → Entra ID (directly connected to Citrix Cloud as the SAML provider) → Federated to ADFS
  • Citrix Cloud → Entra ID (directly connected to Citrix Cloud as the SAML provider) → Federated to PingFederate
  • Citrix Cloud → Entra ID (directly connected to Citrix Cloud as the SAML provider) → Federated to Okta

Can I get assistance and support from Citrix when debugging SAML issues if I am using an IDP chain?

Citrix support and Citrix Engineering can only debug SAML connections directly between Citrix Cloud and the closest SAML IDP in the chain.

Important:

Citrix is not responsible for debugging issues within a complex IDP chain upstream of the directly connected SAML provider.

Should I avoid IDP chaining if possible?

Citrix recommends directly connecting your SAML IDP to Citrix Cloud as this greatly reduces configuration and debugging complexity and minimises end user logon delays which can be introduced whilst Citrix Cloud waits for responses from the complex IDP chain. Many issues can arise with both SSO and SLO when multiple IDPs are chained together particularly when different SAML bindings are used by different IDPs within the IDP chain. A directly connected SAML provider will always be easier to debug and more performant than one that relies on upstream IDPs.

Directly Connecting the SAML Provider to Citrix Cloud VS IDP Chaining