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:homepage: http://syncope.apache.org
:description: Comprehensive guide about Apache Syncope
:keywords: Apache Syncope, IdM, provisioning, identity management, reference, guide

:docinfo1:
:last-update-label!:
:sectanchors:
:sectnums:
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= Apache Syncope - Reference Guide
:revnumber: {docVersion}
:toc: right
:toclevels: 4

image::http://syncope.apache.org/images/apache-syncope-logo-small.jpg[Apache Syncope logo]

[NOTE]
.This document is under active development and discussion!
If you find errors or omissions in this document, please don’t hesitate to 
http://syncope.apache.org/issue-management.html[submit an issue] or 
https://github.com/apache/syncope/pulls[open a pull request] with 
a fix. We also encourage you to ask questions and discuss any aspects of the project on the 
http://syncope.apache.org/mailing-lists.html[mailing lists or IRC]. 
New contributors are always welcome!

[discrete] 
== Preface
This reference guide covers Apache Syncope services for identity management, provisioning, and compliance.

== Introduction

Often, _Identity Management_ and _Access Management_ are jointly referred, mainly because their two management worlds
likely coexist in the same project or in the same environment.

The two topics are however completely different: each one has its own context, its own rules, its own best practices.

On the other hand, some products provide unorthodox implementations so it is indeed possible to do the same thing with 
both of them.

****
Identity Management:: Tools and practices to keep identity data consistent and synchronized across repositories, data 
formats and models.
Access Management:: Systems, protocols and technologies supporting user authentication (how Users are let accessing a
given system) and authorization (which capabilities each user owns on a given system).
****

From the definitions above, Identity Management and Access Management can be seen as complementary: very often, the data
synchronized by the former are then used by the latter to provide its features - e.g. authentication and authorization.

[NOTE]
Functionally, *Apache Syncope* implements *Identity Management* features.

include::identitytechnologies/identitytechnologies.adoc[]

include::architecture/architecture.adoc[]

include::concepts/concepts.adoc[]

include::workingwithapachesyncope/workingwithapachesyncope.adoc[]
