Azure Active Directory
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management service, providing authentication, authorization, and identity governance for applications and resources. It enables single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and conditional access policies to secure access to cloud and on-premises resources. It serves as the backbone for identity management in Microsoft 365, Azure, and thousands of other SaaS applications.
Developers should learn Azure AD when building applications that require secure user authentication, especially in enterprise environments or when integrating with Microsoft ecosystems like Office 365 or Azure services. It is essential for implementing identity solutions in cloud-native or hybrid architectures, enabling features like user provisioning, role-based access control (RBAC), and compliance with security standards such as GDPR or HIPAA.