> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.slm.m1amdocs.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # External User Authentication in Vindicia To access Vindicia Merchant Portal, users are first authenticated as proven Subscribe or Retain users. Once authenticated, users permissions to view and access different areas are based on their authorized user role. For more details, see [Subscribe User Roles](https://docs.vindicia.com/bundle/Subscribe_Portal2_User_Guide/page/topics/portalUserRoles.html) in the Subscribe User Guide or [Retain User Roles](https://docs.vindicia.com/bundle/b_retainPortalUserGuide/page/topics/portalRetainUserRoles.html) in the Retain User Guide. User authentication can be performed via Vindicia' s native implementation IDP that meets Payment Card Industry (PCI) and SAS70 security requirements and complex password regulation.​ ​Optionally, Merchants can request to use their own external user authentication via their Identity Provider using OIDC-standards. Vindicia currently Supports the following external user authentication providers: * Okta * Microsoft Azure Active Directory Once the external user authentication single sign on is set up, the users can use their Okta or Azure credentials to access the Vindicia Merchant Portal. * **[Vindicia External User Authentication Requirements](../topics/externalUserAuthenticationRequirements)** * **[Setting up Okta Authentication](../topics/externalUserSettingUpOKTAAuthentication)** * **[Setting up Azure AD (Active Directory) Authentication](../topics/externalUserSettingUpAzureActiveDirectory)** This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.