User Authentication
Sign learners in through your system with the Custom SSO LMS integration
Authenticate learners on a page you build, then log them into your school with the LearnWorlds SSO API. The Custom SSO LMS integration fits when SAML, OpenID, or the WordPress SSO plugin don’t.
TL;DR
The Custom SSO integration redirects login, sign-up, and password reset to a page you build. After authentication, your page calls the LearnWorlds SSO API to log the user in.
Keep your own login. Users authenticate on your page and return logged in
Handle sign-up your way. Sign-up and password reset run on your page
Connect more than one system. Run several custom SSO setups at once
Teams running an enterprise LMS often need learners to sign in through an identity system they already own.
Best for: Developers and IT admins whose login system SAML and OpenID don’t cover.
Available on Learning Center and above. You build and host your own authentication page.
What you can do with Custom SSO and LearnWorlds
Redirect login requests
Send Sign-in clicks to your page with action=login and a redirectUrl, so users authenticate in your own system.
Handle sign-up externally
Let users sign up on your platform. Your page then triggers the same login flow to sign them into your school.
Route password resets
Send password resets to your page, which finishes the reset and then logs the user in.
Log users in with the API
Call the LearnWorlds SSO API method after authentication. It returns a URL that logs the user in, plus their LearnWorlds user ID.
How LearnWorlds and Custom SSO integrate
See how each sign-in action moves from LearnWorlds to your page and back. Automatic rows run once you create the Custom SSO, and conditional rows depend on the page you build.
| LearnWorlds | Your SSO page | Type of trigger |
|---|---|---|
| User clicks Sign in and chooses Custom SSO | Redirected to your page with action=login and the current page as redirectUrl | Automatic |
| User clicks Sign up and chooses Custom SSO | Redirected to your page with action=signup | Automatic |
| User clicks password reset | Redirected to your page with action=passwordreset | Automatic |
| Your page authenticates the user | Calls the LearnWorlds SSO API and redirects the browser to the returned URL | Conditional |
| Existing user signs in | Matched by email address as the unique key | Automatic |
What teams ask before connecting
Does custom SSO require developer involvement, or is there a point-and-click setup?
You need to build your own authentication page. It handles login, sign-up, and password reset, and uses the LearnWorlds SSO API to log users in. Setup inside LearnWorlds is point-and-click: add the page URL under Website Settings > Authentication > Custom SSO and click Test URL.
Can custom SSO support multiple companies each with their own identity provider?
You can run multiple custom SSO setups at the same time, each with its own name and page URL. Up to three custom SSO, SAML, or OpenID setups are available in total. For more, contact support, or add three more with the scale package on the Learning Center plan.
What happens to existing LearnWorlds user accounts when SSO is turned on?
User data and roles stay intact, because only the authentication mechanism changes. If you disable LearnWorlds login, users must authenticate through your SSO page and LearnWorlds passwords stop working. Users also need to exist or sign up with your provider.
How to set up the LearnWorlds and Custom SSO integration
You need an authentication page you build and host. At the end, your school sends users to that page to sign in.
1. Build your SSO page
Create a page that handles login, sign-up, and password reset and accepts the action and redirectUrl URL parameters. Requires: your own authentication page.
2. Open Custom SSO
In LearnWorlds, open Website Settings > Authentication > Custom SSO and create a new Custom SSO.
3. Name and activate it
Activate user authentication through your Custom SSO and add a name for it.
4. Test your page URL
Enter your page’s URL and click Test URL to validate your implementation. Then click Create to save.
5. Update payment flow settings
In Site Navigation settings, require logged-out users to sign up or log in before payment. Hide the Sign in/up form in payment sections, 1-click funnels, and the payment page.
6. Review your login options
Decide whether to disable LearnWorlds login. If you do, all users authenticate through your SSO page. For the full setup guide, see the Custom SSO help article.
What the Custom SSO integration handles automatically
Redirect sign-in actions
LearnWorlds automatically redirects sign-in, sign-up, and password reset clicks to your page when users choose Custom SSO.
Pass the return address
LearnWorlds automatically sends the current page as redirectUrl when it redirects users to your page.
Keep user data and roles
LearnWorlds automatically keeps user data and roles, including admin and instructor, when you change the authentication provider.
| What LearnWorlds handles automatically | What your team configures |
|---|---|
| Redirects login, sign-up, and password reset to your page | Builds and hosts the page that handles each action |
| Sends the action and redirectUrl parameters | Decodes redirectUrl before redirecting the user |
| Keeps user data and roles intact | Updates a changed email in both your school and your identity provider |
| Identifies users by email address | Uses the LearnWorlds user ID for existing SSO users |
Who uses the Custom SSO integration and how
IT teams connecting an existing login system
Users sign in on your own authentication page and return to the page they started from, already logged in.
School owners moving to external authentication
Switch from LearnWorlds login to your provider. User data and roles stay intact, and you can bulk import users who already exist in your provider.
Admins combining Custom SSO with SAML or OpenID
Add a custom SSO beside your SAML or OpenID setup. LearnWorlds supports up to three custom SSO, SAML, or OpenID setups in total.
What our customers are saying
“If in a week our team could onboard five companies, now they can onboard ten companies in one training session, in one day.”
Lara Oliveira, Community Learning Experience Specialist, Blip
“I love their customer support, which is top tier. I always receive quick replies, and they always solve my issues. When I first joined LearnWorlds, the platform was very simple to understand and get by. We’ve been going strong and love it!”
“The user interface is excellent, both on the main website and inside the virtual classroom. The integrations are incredibly comprehensive—so much so that after more than two years on the platform, I still haven’t explored them all.”
“I like that LearnWorlds provides me with a fully functional website where I can offer my students self-study resources and a community chat. The team is responsive and professional, and they really care about what they are doing.”
“I really appreciate the customer service at LearnWorlds; it’s been incredible and every time I’ve reached out, they’ve been expedient and gone above and beyond, even when they didn’t have something yet but were working on it.”
“The platform has been easy to set up and navigate. Plus, the onboarding calls have been helpful and tech support is extremely responsive! I am so pleased So far, the tech support has been worth every penny I’ve paid!”
“The platform integrates our website, funnels, marketing, and learning system all in one place, which is super convenient. I also appreciate their regular updates and the support team, which is extremely responsive.”
“I’ve been very impressed with LearnWorlds’ level of service so far. They’ve been very helpful with technical issues I don’t have the skills to deal with. It’s easy to use, and the initial setup was pretty easy.”
“We love how it has improved communications with our students. Daily tracking of student activity is vital to our programs and the reporting options help us see where all students are in the push of a button.”
“The wide range of features, responsive support, and regular platform updates. The value is good for the price, especially considering the range of features, regular updates, and responsive customer support.”
“The platform is really configurable, giving us a huge amount of flexibility about how to lay out our course. It’s allowed us to deploy our course in a drip feed format, which is fantastic for our learners.”
“I love how LearnWorlds makes it easy to write and implement my training materials. The platform’s support team is fantastic, providing clear answers quickly, which has been really useful.”
“What I like most about LearnWorlds is how easy and intuitive it is to use. I also really like the possibility to customize the school and make it fit your own style and brand.”
“Many features and almost everything can be customized, which makes it very easy to configure it the way you like.”
“The site is very user friendly and easy accessible. UI/UX is wonderful. The onboarding was also very easy”
“There are a lot of unique and user friendly features. The system is very customizeable.”
FAQs
It’s on Learning Center and above, and Starter and Pro Trainer don’t include it. Compare other options on the LearnWorlds integrations page.
If Custom SSO is your only authentication method, only the school owner can sign in, through the LearnWorlds account sign-in page.
No. Registrations made through custom SSO aren’t tracked, so they don’t trigger affiliate commissions. OpenID, SAML, social logins, and the LearnWorlds sign-up system are tracked.
No. Sign-up and password reset in LearnWorlds only work with the default LearnWorlds authentication. Your page has to handle both.
Update the new email manually in both your school and your identity provider, because SSO uses the email address as the unique key. For existing users, use the LearnWorlds user ID in your page, since emails can change at your provider.
Users created through SSO need to create a new password. They can use the forgot password flow, or an admin can reset or update it.
Yes, if SAML, OpenID, and the WordPress SSO plugin don’t fit your system. You build one page, then add its URL and test it in LearnWorlds. After that, login, sign-up, and password reset all run through your page.
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