EspoCRM 7.4 introduces a new feature called “OIDC: Portal Support,” which represents a significant overhaul to the authentication system of the platform. OIDC stands for “OpenID Connect,” a widely used authentication protocol that allows secure and seamless authentication of users across various web-based applications. This feature introduces a new Authentication Provider entity that can be linked to a Portal entity, enabling the users to log in to the EspoCRM Portal via external OIDC authentication providers such as Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The new Authentication Provider entity enables the system administrator to define different authentication providers and associate them with the EspoCRM portal, which allows portal users to log in using their existing accounts. Additionally, it allows administrators to grant access to specific resources in EspoCRM to portal users based on their authentication provider, roles, or other attributes.

One of the key benefits of this feature is that it makes the authentication process much more streamlined for users. Users no longer have to maintain a separate username and password for the EspoCRM portal. Instead, they can use their existing credentials from trusted third-party authentication providers. This enhances the user experience, eliminates the need for users to remember multiple passwords, and makes it easier to use EspoCRM along with other applications.

To set up the OIDC for Portal feature, the system administrator needs to create a OIDC Provider in Authentication Provider entity in EspoCRM and then link it to the Portal. You can check Once this is done, users can log in to the portal using their external authentication credentials. This feature has numerous benefits, including improved user experience, better security, and easier maintenance for the administrator.