Overview of authentication options

Fern offers two methods of authentication, Single Sign-On (SSO) and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).

For most situations, use RBAC for granular access control over your documentation. RBAC works well for sites with multiple audiences (internal teams, partners, customers) and supports API key injection to autopopulate code examples.

API key injection can be set up using either JWT or OAuth, depending on your existing authentication system.

SSO is simpler but only provides basic login functionality - it doesn’t support RBAC or API key injection. SSO works well for internal-only documentation where everyone should see the same content.

Learn more about Fern’s authentication options: