Network Working Group P. Hunt, Ed.
Internet-Draft Oracle
Intended status: Standards Track K. Grizzle
Expires: February 13, 2015 SailPoint
M. Ansari
Cisco
E. Wahlström
Nexus Technology
C. Mortimore
Salesforce
August 12, 2014

System for Cross-Domain Identity Management:Protocol
draft-ietf-scim-api-09

Abstract

The System for Cross-Domain Identity Management (SCIM) specification is designed to make managing user identity in multi-domain based applications and services easier using HTTP Protocol. Examples include but are not limited to enterprise to cloud service providers, and inter-cloud based scenarios. The specification suite seeks to build upon experience with existing schemas and deployments, placing specific emphasis on simplicity of development and integration, while applying existing authentication, authorization, and privacy models. It's intent is to reduce the cost and complexity of user management operations by providing a common user schema and extension model, as well as binding documents to provide patterns for exchanging this schema using standard protocols. In essence, make it fast, cheap, and easy to move users in to, out of, and around the cloud.

Status of This Memo

This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet-Drafts is at http://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

This Internet-Draft will expire on February 13, 2015.

Copyright Notice

Copyright (c) 2014 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved.

This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Simplified BSD License.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction and Overview

The SCIM Protocol is an application-level, HTTP protocol for provisioning and managing identity data on the web and in cross-domain environments such as enterprise to cloud, or inter-cloud scenarios. The protocol supports creation, modification, retrieval, and discovery of core identity resources such as Users and Groups, as well as custom resources and resource extensions.

1.1. Intended Audience

This document is intended as a guide to SCIM API usage for both SCIM HTTP service providers and HTTP clients that may provision information to service providers or retrieve information from them.

1.2. Notational Conventions

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119]. These keywords are capitalized when used to unambiguously specify requirements of the protocol or application features and behavior that affect the interoperability and security of implementations. When these words are not capitalized, they are meant in their natural-language sense.

For purposes of readability examples are not URL encoded. Implementers MUST percent encode URLs as described in Section 2.1 [RFC3986].

1.3. Definitions

Base URI:
The SCIM HTTP protocol is described in terms of a path relative to a Base URI. The Base URI MUST NOT contain a query string as clients may append additional path information and query parameters as part of forming the request. Example: https://example.com/scim/
For readability, all examples in this document are expressed assuming the SCIM service root and the server root are the same. It is expected that SCIM servers may be deployed using any URI prefix. For example, a SCIM server might be have a prefix of https://example.com/, or https://example.com/scim/tenancypath/. Additionally client may also apply a version number to the server root prefix (see Section 3.11 ).

2. Authentication and Authorization

Because SCIM builds on the HTTP protocol, it does not define a scheme for authentication and authorization. SCIM depends on standard HTTP authentication schemes. Implementers SHOULD support existing authentication/authorization schemes. In particular, OAuth2 [RFC6750] is RECOMMENDED. Appropriate security considerations of the selected authentication and authorization schemes SHOULD be taken. Because this protocol uses HTTP response status codes as the primary means of reporting the result of a request, servers are advised to respond to unauthorized or unauthenticated requests using the 401 response code in accordance with Section 3.1 of [RFC7235].

All examples show an OAuth2 bearer token [RFC6750] (though it is not required) ; e.g.,

GET /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646 HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8

The context of the request (i.e. the user for whom data is being requested) MUST be inferred by service providers.

3. SCIM Protocol

The SCIM protocol specifies well known endpoints and HTTP methods for managing resources defined in the core schema; i.e., User and Group resources correspond to /Users and /Groups respectively. Service providers that support extended resources SHOULD define resource endpoints using the established convention; pluralize the resource name defined in the extended schema by appending an 's'. Given there are cases where resource pluralization is ambiguous; e.g., a resource named Person is legitimately Persons and People clients SHOULD discover resource endpoints via the /ResourceTypes endpoint.

GET
Retrieves one or more complete or partial resources.
POST
Depending on the endpoint, creates new resources, create a search request, or may be used to bulk modify resources.
PUT
Modifies a resource by replacing existing attributes with a specified set of replacement attributes (replace). PUT MUST NOT be used to create new resources.
PATCH
Modifies a resource with a set of client specified changes (partial update).
DELETE
Deletes a resource.
Defined endpoints
Resource Endpoint Operations Description
User /Users GET [get-resource], POST [create-resource], PUT [edit-resource-with-put], PATCH [edit-resource-with-patch], DELETE [delete-resource] Retrieve, Add, Modify Users
Group /Groups GET [get-resource], POST [create-resource], PUT [edit-resource-with-put], PATCH [edit-resource-with-patch], DELETE [delete-resource] Retrieve, Add, Modify Groups
Service Provider Config /ServiceProvider Configs GET [get-resource] Retrieve service provider's configuration
Resource Type /ResourceTypes GET [get-resource] Retrieve supported resource types
Schema /Schemas GET [get-resource] Retrieve one or more supported schemas.
Bulk /Bulk POST [bulk-resources] Bulk updates to one or more resources
Search [prefix]/.search POST [query-post] Search from system root or within a resource endpoint for one or more resource types using POST.

All requests to the service provider are made via HTTP Methods as per Section 4.3 [RFC7231] on a URL derived from the Base URL. Responses are returned in the body of the HTTP response, formatted as JSON. Error status codes SHOULD be transmitted via the HTTP status code of the response (if possible), and SHOULD also be specified in the body of the response (see Section 3.10).

3.1. Creating Resources

To create new resources, clients send HTTP POST requests to the resource endpoint such as: /Users or /Groups.

Attributes in the request body, whose mutability is readOnly, SHALL be ignored.

Attributes whose mutability is readWrite, that are omitted from the request body, MAY be assumed to be not asserted by the client. The service provider MAY assign a default value to non-asserted attributes in the final resource representation. Service providers MAY take into account whether a client has access to, or understands, all of the resource's attributes when deciding whether non-asserted attributes SHALL be defaulted. Clients that intend to override server defaulted attributes, MAY specify null for a single-valued attribute or an empty array [] for a multi-valued attribute to clear all values.

When the service provider successfully creates the new resource, an HTTP response SHALL be returned with HTTP status 201 ("Created"). The response body SHOULD contain the service provider's representation of the newly created resource. The URI of the created resource SHALL included in the HTTP Location header and in JSON resource representation under the attribute meta.location. Since the server is free to alter and/or ignore POSTed content, returning the full representation can be useful to the client, enabling it to correlate the client and server views of the new resource.

If the service provider determines creation of the requested resource conflicts with existing resources; e.g., a User resource with a duplicate userName, the service provider MUST return an HTTP Status 409, with scimType error code of uniqueness as per Section 3.10.

Below, in the following example, a client sends a POST request containing a User to the /Users endpoint.

POST /Users  HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
Content-Length: ...

{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
  "userName":"bjensen",
  "externalId":"bjensen",
  "name":{
    "formatted":"Ms. Barbara J Jensen III",
    "familyName":"Jensen",
    "givenName":"Barbara"
  }
}

In response to the example request above, the server signals a successful creation with an HTTP status code 201 (Created) and returns a representation of the resource created.

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Location: https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
ETag: W/"e180ee84f0671b1"

{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
  "id":"2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
  "externalId":"bjensen",
  "meta":{
    "resourceType":"User",
    "created":"2011-08-01T21:32:44.882Z",
    "lastModified":"2011-08-01T21:32:44.882Z",
    "location":"https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
    "version":"W\/\"e180ee84f0671b1\""
  },
  "name":{
    "formatted":"Ms. Barbara J Jensen III",
    "familyName":"Jensen",
    "givenName":"Barbara"
  },
  "userName":"bjensen"
}

3.1.1. Resource Types

When adding a resource to a specific endpoint, the meta attribute resourceType SHALL be set by the HTTP service provider to the corresponding resource type for the endpoint. For example, /Users will set resourceType to User, and /Groups will set resourceType to Group.

3.2. Retrieving Resources

Resources are retrieved via opaque, unique URLs or via Query. The attributes returned are defined in the server's attribute schema (see Section 10 [I-D.ietf-scim-core-schema]) and request parameters (see Section 3.7). By default, resource attributes returned in a response are those whose schema returned setting is always or default.

3.2.1. Retrieving a known Resource

To retrieve a known resource, clients send GET requests to the resource endpoint; e.g., /Users/{id} or /Groups/{id}, or /Schemas/{id}.

If the resource exists the server responds with HTTP Status code 200 (OK) and includes the result in the body of the response.

The below example retrieves a single User via the /Users endpoint.

GET /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8

The server responds with:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Location: https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
ETag: W/"f250dd84f0671c3"

{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
  "id":"2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
  "externalId":"bjensen",
  "meta":{
    "resourceType":"User",
    "created":"2011-08-01T18:29:49.793Z",
    "lastModified":"2011-08-01T18:29:49.793Z",
    "location":"https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
    "version":"W\/\"f250dd84f0671c3\""
  },
  "name":{
    "formatted":"Ms. Barbara J Jensen III",
    "familyName":"Jensen",
    "givenName":"Barbara"
  },
  "userName":"bjensen",
  "phoneNumbers":[
    {
      "value":"555-555-8377",
      "type":"work"
    }
  ],
  "emails":[
    {
      "value":"bjensen@example.com",
      "type":"work"
    }
  ]
}

3.2.2. Query Resources

The SCIM protocol defines a standard set of query parameters that can be used to filter, sort, and paginate to return zero or more resources in a query response. Queries MAY be made against a single resource or a resource type endpoint (e.g. /Users). SCIM service providers MAY support additional query parameters not specified here and SHOULD ignore any query parameters they do not recognize.

Responses MUST be identified using the following URI: urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:ListResponse. The following attributes are defined for responses:

totalResults
The total number of results returned by the list or query operation. This may not be equal to the number of elements in the resources attribute of the list response if pagination [pagination] is requested. REQUIRED.
Resources
A multi-valued list of complex objects containing the requested resources. This may be a subset of the full set of resources if pagination [pagination] is requested. REQUIRED if totalResults is non-zero.
startIndex
The 1-based index of the first result in the current set of list results. REQUIRED when partial results returned due to pagination.
itemsPerPage
The number of resources returned in a list response page. REQUIRED when partial results returned due to pagination.

A query that does not return any matches SHALL return success (HTTP Status 200) with totalResults set to a value of 0.

The query example below requests the userName for all Users:

GET /Users?attributes=userName
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8

The following is an example response to the query above:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json

{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:ListResponse"],
  "totalResults":2,
  "Resources":[
    {
      "userName":"bjensen"
    },
    {
      "userName":"jsmith"
    }
  ]
}

3.2.2.1. Query Endpoints

Queries MAY be performed against a SCIM resource object, a resource type endpoint, or a SCIM server root. For example: 

filter=(meta.resourceType eq User) or (meta.resourceType eq Group)

A query against a server root indicates that ALL resources within the server SHALL be included subject to filtering. A filter expression using meta.resourceType MAY be used to restrict results to one or more specific resource types (to exclude others). For example:

If a SCIM service provider determines that too many results would be returned (e.g. because a client queried a resource type endpoint or the server base URI), the server SHALL reject the request by returning an HTTP response with status 400 and json attribute scimType set to tooMany (see Table 8).

When processing query operations across endpoints that include more than one SCIM resource type (e.g. a query from the server root endpoint), filters MUST be processed as outlined in Section 3.2.2.2. For filtered attributes that are not part of a particular resource type, the service provider SHALL treat the attribute as if there is no attribute value. For example, a presence or equality filter for an undefined attribute evaluates as FALSE.

3.2.2.2. Filtering

Filtering is an OPTIONAL parameter for SCIM service providers. Clients MAY discover service provider filter capabilities by looking at the filter attribute of the ServiceProviderConfig (see Section 8 [I-D.ietf-scim-core-schema]). Clients MAY request a subset of resources by specifying the filter query parameter containing a filter expression. When specified only those resources matching the filter expression SHALL be returned. The expression language that is used in the filter parameter supports references to attributes and literals.

Attribute names and attribute operators used in filters are case insensitive. For example, the following two expressions will evaluate to the same logical value:

filter=userName Eq "john"

filter=Username eq "john"

The filter parameter MUST contain at least one valid Boolean expression. Each expression MUST contain an attribute name followed by an attribute operator and optional value. Multiple expressions MAY be combined using the two logical operators. Furthermore expressions can be grouped together using "()".

The operators supported in the expression are listed in the following table.

Attribute Operators
Operator Description Behavior
eq equal The attribute and operator values must be identical for a match.
ne not equal The attribute and operator values are not identical.
co contains The entire operator value must be a substring of the attribute value for a match.
sw starts with The entire operator value must be a substring of the attribute value, starting at the beginning of the attribute value. This criterion is satisfied if the two strings are identical.
ew ends with The entire operator value must be a substring of the attribute value, matching at the end of the attribute value. This criterion is satisfied if the two strings are identical.
pr present (has value) If the attribute has a non-empty or non-null value, or if it contains a non-empty node for complex attributes there is a match.
gt greater than If the attribute value is greater than operator value, there is a match. The actual comparison is dependent on the attribute type. For string attribute types, this is a lexicographical comparison and for DateTime types, it is a chronological comparison. For Integer attributes it is a comparison by numeric value. Boolean and Binary attributes SHALL cause a failed response (HTTP Status 400) with scimType of invlaidFiler.
ge greater than or equal If the attribute value is greater than or equal to the operator value, there is a match. The actual comparison is dependent on the attribute type. For string attribute types, this is a lexicographical comparison and for DateTime types, it is a chronological comparison. For Integer attributes it is a comparison by numeric value. Boolean and Binary attributes SHALL cause a failed response (HTTP Status 400) with scimType of invlaidFiler.
lt less than If the attribute value is less than operator value, there is a match. The actual comparison is dependent on the attribute type. For string attribute types, this is a lexicographical comparison and for DateTime types, it is a chronological comparison. For Integer attributes it is a comparison by numeric value. Boolean and Binary attributes SHALL cause a failed response (HTTP Status 400) with scimType of invlaidFiler.
le less than or equal If the attribute value is less than or equal to the operator value, there is a match. The actual comparison is dependent on the attribute type. For string attribute types, this is a lexicographical comparison and for DateTime types, it is a chronological comparison. For Integer attributes it is a comparison by numeric value. Boolean and Binary attributes SHALL cause a failed response (HTTP Status 400) with scimType of invlaidFiler.

Logical Operators
Operator Description Behavior
and Logical And The filter is only a match if both expressions evaluate to true.
or Logical or The filter is a match if either expression evaluates to true.
not Not function The filter is a match if the expression evaluates to false.

Grouping Operators
Operator Description Behavior
( ) Precedence grouping Boolean expressions may be grouped using parentheses to change the standard order of operations; i.e., evaluate OR logical operators before logical AND operators.
[ ] Complex attribute filter grouping Service providers MAY support complex filters where expressions MUST be applied to the same value of a parent attribute specified immediately before the left square bracket ("["). The expression within square brackets ("[" and "]") MUST be a valid filter expression based upon sub-attributes of the parent attribute. Nested expressions MAY be used. See examples below.

SCIM filters MUST conform to the following ABNF rules as per [RFC5234] below:

FILTER    = attrExp / logExp / valuePath / *1"not" "(" FILTER ")"

valuePath = attrPath "[" FILTER "]"
            ; FILTER uses sub-attribs of a parent attrPath

ATTRNAME  = ALPHA *(nameChar)

nameChar  = "-" / "_" / DIGIT / ALPHA

attrPath  = [URI ":"] ATTRNAME *1subAttr 
            ; SCIM attribute name
            ; URI is SCIM "schema" URI

subAttr   = "." ATTRNAME
            ; a sub-attribute of a complex attribute

attrExp   = (attrPath SP "pr") / 
            (attrPath SP compareOp SP compValue)

compValue = false / null / true / number / string
            ; rules from JSON (RFC7159) 

compareOp = "eq" / "ne" / "co" /
                   "sw" / "ew" /
                   "gt" / "lt" /
                   "ge" / "le"

logExp    = FILTER ("and" / "or") FILTER

Figure 1: ABNF Specification of SCIM Filters

In the above ABNF, the compValue (comparison value) rule is built on JSON Data Interchange format ABNF rules as specified in [RFC7159], DIGIT and ALPHA are defined per Appendix B.1 of [RFC5234] and, URI is defined per Appendix A of [RFC3986].

Filters MUST be evaluated using standard order of operations [Order-Operations]. Attribute operators have the highest precedence, followed by the grouping operator (i.e, parentheses), followed by the logical AND operator, followed by the logical OR operator.

If the specified attribute in a filter expression is a multi-valued attribute, the resource MUST match if any of the instances of the given attribute match the specified criterion; e.g. if a User has multiple emails values, only one has to match for the entire User to match. For complex attributes, a fully qualified Sub-Attribute MUST be specified using standard attribute notation [attribute-notation]. For example, to filter by userName the parameter value is userName and to filter by first name, the parameter value is name.givenName.

Providers MAY support additional filter operations if they choose. Providers MUST decline to filter results if the specified filter operation is not recognized and return a HTTP 400 error with an appropriate human readable response. For example, if a client specified an unsupported operator named 'regex' the service provider should specify an error response description identifying the client error; e.g., 'The operator 'regex' is not supported.'

String type attributes are case insensitive by default unless the attribute type is defined as case exact. Attribute comparison operators 'eq', 'co', and 'sw' MUST perform caseIgnore matching for all string attributes unless the attribute is defined as case exact. By default all string attributes are case insensitive.

Clients MAY query by schema or schema extensions by using a filter expression including the "schemas" attribute.

The following are examples of valid filters. Some attributes (e.g. rooms and rooms.number) are hypothetical extensions and are not part of SCIM core schema:

filter=userName eq "bjensen"

filter=name.familyName co "O'Malley"

filter=userName sw "J"

filter=title pr

filter=meta.lastModified gt "2011-05-13T04:42:34Z"

filter=meta.lastModified ge "2011-05-13T04:42:34Z"

filter=meta.lastModified lt "2011-05-13T04:42:34Z"

filter=meta.lastModified le "2011-05-13T04:42:34Z"

filter=title pr and userType eq "Employee"

filter=title pr or userType eq "Intern"

filter=schemas eq "urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:enterprise:2.0:User"

filter=userType eq "Employee" and (emails co "example.com" or emails
  co "example.org")

filter=userType ne "Employee" and not (emails co "example.com" or
  emails co "example.org")   

filter=userType eq "Employee" and (emails.type eq "work")

filter=userType eq "Employee" and emails[type eq "work" and 
  value co “@example.com"]

filter=emails[type eq "work" and value co “@example.com"] or 
  ims[type eq "xmpp" and value co "@foo.com"]

filter=addresses[state eq "CA" and rooms[type eq "bedroom" and 
  number gt 2]]

Figure 2: Example Filters

3.2.2.3. Sorting

Sort is OPTIONAL. Sorting allows clients to specify the order in which resources are returned by specifying a combination of sortBy and sortOrder URL parameters.

sortBy:
The sortBy parameter specifies the attribute whose value SHALL be used to order the returned responses. If the sortBy attribute corresponds to a singular attribute, resources are sorted according to that attribute's value; if it's a multi-valued attribute, resources are sorted by the value of the primary attribute (see Section 2.2 [I-D.ietf-scim-core-schema]), if any, or else the first value in the list, if any. If the attribute is complex the attribute name must be a path to a sub-attribute in standard attribute notation [attribute-notation] ; e.g., sortBy=name.givenName. For all attribute types, if there is no data for the specified sortBy value they are sorted via the sortOrder parameter; i.e., they are ordered last if ascending and first if descending.
sortOrder:
The order in which the sortBy parameter is applied. Allowed values are ascending and descending. If a value for sortBy is provided and no sortOrder is specified, the sortOrder SHALL default to ascending. String type attributes are case insensitive by default unless the attribute type is defined as a case exact string. sortOrder MUST sort according to the attribute type; i.e., for case insensitive attributes, sort the result using case insensitive, unicode alphabetic sort order, with no specific locale implied and for case exact attribute types, sort the result using case sensitive, Unicode alphabetic sort order.

3.2.2.4.

Pagination parameters can be used together to "page through" large numbers of resources so as not to overwhelm the client or service provider. Pagination is not session based hence clients SHOULD never assume repeatable results. For example, a request for a list of 10 resources beginning with a startIndex of 1 may return different results when repeated as a resource in the original result could be deleted or new ones could be added in-between requests. Pagination parameters and general behavior are derived from the OpenSearch Protocol [OpenSearch].

The following table describes the URL pagination parameters.

Pagination Request parameters
Parameter Description Default
startIndex The 1-based index of the first query result. A value less than 1 SHALL be interpreted as 1. 1
count Non-negative Integer. Specifies the desired maximum number of query results per page; e.g., 10. A negative value SHALL be interpreted as 0. A value of 0 indicates no resource results are to be returned except for totalResults. None. When specified the service provider MUST not return more results than specified though MAY return fewer results. If unspecified, the maximum number of results is set by the service provider.

The following table describes the query response pagination attributes specified by the service provider.

Pagination Response Elements
Element Description
itemsPerPage Non-negative Integer. Specifies the number of query results returned in a query response page; e.g., 10.
totalResults Non-negative Integer. Specifies the total number of results matching the client query; e.g., 1000.
startIndex The 1-based index of the first result in the current set of query results; e.g., 1.

For example, to retrieve the first 10 Users set the startIndex to 1 and the count to 10:


GET /Users?startIndex=1&count=10
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8

The response to the query above returns metadata regarding paging similar to the following example (actual resources removed for brevity):

{
  "totalResults":100,
  "itemsPerPage":10,
  "startIndex":1,
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:ListResponse"],
  "Resources":[{
    ...
  }]
}

3.2.2.5. Attributes

The following attributes control which attributes SHALL be returned with a returned resource. SCIM clients MAY use up to one of these two OPTIONAL parameters which MUST be supported by SCIM service providers:

attributes
A multi-valued list of strings indicating the names of resource attributes to return in the response overriding the set of attributes that would be returned by default. Attribute names MUST be in standard.attribute notation [attribute-notation] form. See additional retrieval query parameters [addtl-retrieval-query-params].
excludedAttributes
A multi-valued list of strings indicating the names of resource attributes to be removed from the default set of attributes to return. This parameter SHALL have no effect on attributes whose schema returned setting is always see Server Schema [I-D.ietf-scim-core-schema]. Attribute names MUST be in standard attribute notation [attribute-notation] form. See additional retrieval query parameters [addtl-retrieval-query-params].

3.2.3. Querying Resources Using HTTP POST

Clients MAY execute queries without passing parameters on the URL by using the HTTP POST verb combined with the '/.search' path extension. The inclusion of '/.search' on the end of a valid SCIM endpoint SHALL be used to indicate the HTTP POST verb is intended to be a query operation.

To create a new query result set, a SCIM client sends an HTTP POST request to the desired SCIM resource endpoint (ending in '/.search'). The body of the POST request MAY include any of the parameters as defined in Section 3.2.2.

Query requests MUST be identified using the following URI: 'urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:SearchRequest'. The following attributes are defined for query requests:

attributes
A multi-valued list of strings indicating the names of resource attributes to return in the response overriding the set of attributes that would be returned by default. Attribute names MUST be in standard attribute notation [attribute-notation] form. See additional retrieval query parameters [addtl-retrieval-query-params]. OPTIONAL.
excludedAttributes
A multi-valued list of strings indicating the names of resource attributes to be removed from the default set of attributes to return. This parameter SHALL have no effect on attributes whose schema returned setting is always see Server Schema [I-D.ietf-scim-core-schema]. Attribute names MUST be in standard attribute notation [attribute-notation] form. See additional retrieval query parameters [addtl-retrieval-query-params]. OPTIONAL.
filter
The filter string used to request a subset of resources. The filter string MUST be a valid filter [filtering] expression. OPTIONAL.
sortBy
A string indicating the attribute whose value SHALL be used to order the returned responses. The sortBy attribute MUST be in standard attribute notation [attribute-notation] form. See sorting [sorting]. OPTIONAL.
sortOrder
A string indicating the order in which the sortBy parameter is applied. Allowed values are "ascending" and "descending". See sorting [sorting]. OPTIONAL.
startIndex
An integer indicating the 1-based index of the first query result. See pagination [pagination]. OPTIONAL.
count
An integer indicating the desired maximum number of query results per page. See pagination [pagination]. OPTIONAL.

After receiving a HTTP POST request, a response is returned as specified in Section 3.2.2.

The following example shows an HTTP POST Query request with search parameters attributes, filter, and count included:

POST /.search
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
Content-Length: ...

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:SearchRequest"],
  "attributes": ["displayName", "userName"],
  "filter": "(displayName sw \"smith\") and (meta.resourceType eq \"User\")",
  "startIndex": 1,
  "count": 10
}

Figure 3: Example POST Query Request

A query response is shown with the first page of results. For brevity reasons, only two matches are shown: one User and one Group.

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Location: https://example.com/.search
{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:ListResponse"],
  "totalResults":100,
  "itemsPerPage":10,
  "startIndex":1,
  "Resources":[
    {
      "meta":{
        "location":
          "https://example.com/Users/2819c223-7f76-413861904646",
        "resourceType":"User",
        "lastModified": ...
      },
      "userName":"jsmith",
      "displayName":"Smith, James"
    },
    {
      "meta":{
        "location":
          "https://example.com/Groups/c8596b90-7539-4f20968d1908",
        "resourceType":"Group",
        "lastModified": ...
      },
      "displayName":"Smith Family"
    },
     ...
  ]
}

Figure 4: Example POST Query Response

3.3. Modifying Resources

Resources can be modified in whole or in part via PUT or PATCH, respectively. Implementers MUST support PUT as specified in Section 4.3 [RFC7231]. Resources such as Groups may be very large hence implementers SHOULD support HTTP PATCH [RFC5789] to enable partial resource modifications.

3.3.1. Replacing with PUT

HTTP PUT is used to perform a full update of a resource's attributes. Clients that MAY have previously retrieved the entire resource in advance and revised it, MAY replace the resource using an HTTP PUT. Because SCIM resource identifiers are typically assigned by the service provider, HTTP PUT MUST NOT be used to create new resources.

As the operation intent is to replace all attributes, SCIM clients MAY send all attributes regardless of each attribute's mutability. The server will apply attribute by attribute replace according to the following attribute mutability rules:

readWrite, writeOnly
Any values provided SHALL replace the existing attribute values.
immutable
If value(s) are already set for the attribute, the input value(s) MUST match or HTTP status 400 SHOULD be returned with error code mutability. If the service provider has no existing values, the new value(s) SHALL be applied.
readOnly
Any values provided (e.g. meta.resourceType) SHALL be ignored.

If an attribute is required, clients MUST specify the attribute in the PUT request.

Attributes whose mutability is readWrite, that are omitted from the request body, MAY be assumed to be not asserted by the client. The service provider MAY assume any existing values are to be cleared or the service provider MAY assign a default value to the final resource representation. Service providers MAY take into account whether a client has access to, or understands, all of the resource's attributes when deciding whether non-asserted attributes SHALL be removed or defaulted. Clients that would like to override a server defaults, MAY specify null for a single-valued attribute or an empty array [] for a multi-valued attribute to clear all values.

Unless otherwise specified a successful PUT operation returns a 200 OK response code and the entire resource within the response body, enabling the client to correlate the client's and the service provider's views of the updated resource. Example:

PUT /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"

{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
  "id":"2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
  "userName":"bjensen",
  "externalId":"bjensen",
  "name":{
    "formatted":"Ms. Barbara J Jensen III",
    "familyName":"Jensen",
    "givenName":"Barbara",
    "middleName":"Jane"
  },
  "roles":[],
  "emails":[
    {
        "value":"bjensen@example.com"
    },
    {
        "value":"babs@jensen.org"
    }
  ]
}

The service responds with the entire, updated User:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json
ETag: W/"b431af54f0671a2"
Location:"https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646"
{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
  "id":"2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
  "userName":"bjensen",
  "externalId":"bjensen",
  "name":{
    "formatted":"Ms. Barbara J Jensen III",
    "familyName":"Jensen",
    "givenName":"Barbara",
    "middleName":"Jane"
  },
  "emails":[
    {
        "value":"bjensen@example.com"
    },
    {
        "value":"babs@jensen.org"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "resourceType":"User",
    "created":"2011-08-08T04:56:22Z",
    "lastModified":"2011-08-08T08:00:12Z",
    "location":"https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
    "version":"W\/\"b431af54f0671a2\""
  }
}

3.3.2. Modifying with PATCH

HTTP PATCH is an OPTIONAL server function that enables clients to update one or more attributes of a SCIM resource using a sequence of operations to add, remove, or replace values. The general form of the SCIM patch request is based on JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Patch [RFC6902]. One difference between SCIM patch and JSON patch is that SCIM servers do not support array indexing and may not support all [RFC6902] operation types.

The body of an HTTP PATCH request MUST contain one or more patch operation objects. A patch operation object MUST have exactly one "op" member, whose value indicates the operation to perform and MAY be one of add, remove, or replace. The semantics of each operation are defined below.

{ "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [
    {
     "op":"add",
     "path":"members",
     "value":[
      {
        "display": "Babs Jensen",
        "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223...413861904646",
        "value": "2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646"
      }
     ]
    },
    ... + additional operations if needed ...
  ]
}

Example JSON body for SCIM PATCH Request

The body of each request MUST contain the following schemas URI: urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp, followed by an array of one or more operations. For example:

A path attribute value is a String containing an attribute path describing the target of the operation. The path attribute is OPTIONAL for add and replace and is REQUIRED for remove operations. See relevant operation sections below for details.

The path attribute is described by the following ABNF syntax rule:

PATH = attrPath / valuePath [subAttr]

Figure 5: SCIM Patch PATH Rule

The ABNF rules, attrPath, valuePath, and subAttr are defined in Section 3.2.2.2. The valuePath rule allows specific values of a complex, multi-valued attribute to be selected.

Valid examples of path values are as follows:

"path":"members"

"path":"name.familyName"

"path":"addresses[type eq \"work\"]"

"path":"members[value eq 
       \"2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646\"]"

"path":"members[value eq 
       \"2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646\"].displayName"

Figure 6: Example Path Values

Each operation against an attribute MUST be compatible with the attribute's mutability and schema as defined in the Attribute Types Section of [I-D.ietf-scim-core-schema]. For example, a client MAY NOT modify an attribute that has mutability readOnly or immutable. However, a client MAY add a value to an immutable attribute if the attribute had no previous value. An operation that is not compatibile with an attribute's mutability or schema SHALL return the appropriate HTTP response status code and a JSON detail error response as defined in Section 3.10.

The attribute notation rules described in Section 3.8 apply for describing attribute paths. For all operations, the value of the schemas attribute on the SCIM service provider's representation of the resource SHALL be assumed by default. If one of the PATCH operations modifies the schemas attribute, subsequent operations SHALL assume the modified state of the schemas attribute. Clients MAY implicitly modify the schemas attribute by adding (or replacing) an attribute with its fully qualified name including schema URN. For example, adding the attribute urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:enterprise:2.0:User:employeeNumber, automatically adds the value urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:enterprise:2.0:User to the resource's schemas attribute.

Each patch operation represents a single action to be applied to the same SCIM resource specified by the request URI. Operations are applied sequentially in the order they appear in the array. Each operation in the sequence is applied to the target resource; the resulting resource becomes the target of the next operation. Evaluation continues until all operations are successfully applied or until an error condition is encountered.

For a multi-valued attributes, a patch operation that sets a value's primary attribute to true, SHALL cause the server to automatically set primary to false for any other values in the array as only one value MAY be primary.

A patch request, regardless of the number of operations, SHALL be treated as atomic. If a single operation encounters an error condition, the original SCIM resource MUST be restored, and a failure status SHALL be returned.

If a request fails, the server SHALL return an HTTP response status code and a JSON detail error response as defined in Section 3.10.

On successful completion, the server MUST return either a 200 OK response code and the entire resource (subject to the "attributes" query parameter - see Additional Retrieval Query Parameters [addtl-retrieval-query-params] ) within the response body, or a 204 No Content response code and the appropriate response headers for a successful patch request. The server MUST return a 200 OK if the "attributes" parameter is specified on the request.

3.3.2.1. Add Operation

The add operation is used to add a new attribute value to an existing resource.

The operation MUST contain a value member whose content specifies the value to be added. The value MAY be a quoted value OR it may be a JSON object containing the sub-attributes of the complex attribute specified in the operation's path.

The result of the add operation depends upon what the target location indicated by path references:

  • If omitted, the target location is assumed to be the resource itself. The value parameter contains a set of attributes to be added to the resource.
  • If the target location does not exist, the attribute and value is added.
  • If the target location specifies a complex attribute, a set of sub-attributes SHALL be specified in the value parameter.
  • If the target location specifies a multi-valued attribute, a new value is added to the attribute.
  • if the target location specifies a single-valued attribute, the existing value is replaced.
  • If the target location specifies an attribute that does not exist (has no value), the attribute is added with the new value.
  • If the target location exists, the value is replaced.
  • If the target location already contains the value specified, no changes SHOULD be made to the resource and a success response SHOULD be returned. Unless other operations change the resource, this operation SHALL NOT change the modify timestamp of the resource.

The following example shows how to add a member to a group. Some text removed for readability ("..."):

PATCH /Groups/acbf3ae7-8463-4692-b4fd-9b4da3f908ce
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"
{ "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [
    {
     "op":"add",
     "path":"members",
     "value":[
      {
        "display": "Babs Jensen",
        "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223...413861904646",
        "value": "2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646"
      }
     ]
    }
  ]
}

If the user was already a member of this group, no changes should be made to the resource and a success response should be returned. The server responds with either the entire updated Group or no response body:

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
ETag: W/"b431af54f0671a2"
Location: "https://example.com/Groups/acbf3ae7-8463-4692-b4fd-9b4da3f908ce"

The following example shows how to add one or more attributes to a User resource without using a path attribute.

PATCH /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"

{ 
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [{
    "op":"add",
    "value":"{
      "emails":[
        {
          "value":"babs@jensen.org",
          "type":"home"
        }
      ],
      "nickname":"Babs"
  }]
}

In the above example, an additional value is added to the multi-valued attribute emails. The second attribute, nickname is added to the User resource. If the resource already had an existing nickname, the value is replaced per the processing rules above for single-valued attributes.

3.3.2.2. Remove Operation

The remove operation removes the value at the target location specified by the required attribute path. The operation performs the following functions depending on the target location specified by path :

  • If path is unspecified, the operation fails with HTTP status 400 and scimType of noTarget.
  • If the target location is a single-value attribute, the attribute and its associated value is removed and the attribute SHALL be considered unassigned.
  • If the target location is a multi-valued attribute and no filter is specified, the attribute and all values are removed and the attribute SHALL be considered unassigned.
  • If the target location is a multi-valued attribute and a complex filter is specified comparing a value, the values matched by the filter are removed. If after removal of the selected values, no other values remain, the multi-valued attribute SHALL be considered unassigned.
  • If the target location is a complex-multi-valued attribute and a complex filter is specified based on the attribute's sub-attributes, the matching records are removed. Sub-attributes whose values have been removed SHALL be considered unassigned. If the complex-multi-valued attribute has no remaining records, the attribute SHALL be considered unassigned.

If an attribute is removed or becomes unassigned and is defined as a required attribute or a read-only attribute, the server SHALL return an HTTP response status code and a JSON detail error response as defined in Section 3.10 with a scimType error of mutability.

The following example shows how to remove a member from a group. As with the previous example, the "display" sub-attribute is optional. If the user was not a member of this group, no changes should be made to the resource and a success response should be returned.

Note that server responses have been omitted for the rest of the PATCH examples.

Remove a single member from a group. Some text removed for readability ("..."):

PATCH /Groups/acbf3ae7-8463-4692-b4fd-9b4da3f908ce
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [{
    "op":"remove",
    "path":"members[value eq \"2819c223-7f76-...413861904646\"]"
  }]
}

Remove all members of a group:

PATCH /Groups/acbf3ae7-8463-4692-b4fd-9b4da3f908ce
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"

{ "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [{
    "op":"remove","path":"members"
  }]
}

Removal of a value from a complex-multi-valued attribute (request headers removed for brevity):

{ 
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [{
  "op":"remove",
  "path":"emails[type eq \"work\" and value ew \"example.com\"]"
  }]
}

Example request to remove and add a member. Some text removed for readability ("..."):

PATCH /Groups/acbf3ae7-8463-4692-b4fd-9b4da3f908ce
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"
{ "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [
    {  
      "op":"remove",
      "path":"members[value eq\"2819c223...919d-413861904646\"]"
    },
    {
      "op":"add",
      "path":"members",
      "value": [
        {
          "display": "James Smith",
          "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Users/08e1d05d...473d93df9210",
          "value": "08e1d05d...473d93df9210"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
]

The following example shows how to replace all the members of a group with a different members list. Some text removed for readabilty ("..."):

PATCH /Groups/acbf3ae7-8463-4692-b4fd-9b4da3f908ce
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"
{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [
    { 
      "op":"remove","path":"members"
    },
    {
      "op":"add",
      "path":"members",
      "value":[
      {
        "display": "Babs Jensen",
        "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223...413861904646",
        "value": "2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646"
      },
      {
        "display": "James Smith",
        "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Users/08e1d05d...473d93df9210",
        "value": "08e1d05d-121c-4561-8b96-473d93df9210"
      }]
    }
  ]
]

3.3.2.3. Replace Operation

The replace operation replaces the value at the target location specified by the path. The operation performs the following functions depending on the target location specified by path :

  • If the path parameter is omitted, the target is assumed to be the resoruce itself. In this case, the value attribute SHALL contain a list of one or more attributes that are to be replaced.
  • If the target location is a single-value attribute, the attributes value is replaced.
  • If the target location is a multi-valued attribute and no filter is specified, the attribute and all values are replaced.
  • If the target location specifies a complex attribute, a set of sub-attributes SHALL be specified in the value parameter which replaces any existing values or adds where an attribute did not previously exist. Sub-attributes that are not specified in the value parameter are left unchanged.
  • If the target location is a multi-valued attribute and a complex filter is specified comparing a value, the values matched by the filter are replaced.
  • If the target location is a complex-multi-valued attribute and a complex filter is specified based on the attribute's sub-attributes, the matching records are replaced.
  • If the target location is a complex-multi-valued attribute with a complex filter and a specific sub-attribute (e.g. addresses[type eq "work"].streetAddress ), the matching sub-attribute of the matching record is replaced.

The following example shows how to replace all the members of a group with a different members list in a single replace operation. Some text removed for readability ("..."):

PATCH /Groups/acbf3ae7-8463-4692-b4fd-9b4da3f908ce
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [{
    "op":"replace",
    "path":"members",
    "value":[
      {
        "display": "Babs Jensen",
        "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223...413861904646",
        "value": "2819c223...413861904646"
      },
      {
        "display": "James Smith",
        "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Users/08e1d05d...473d93df9210",
        "value": "08e1d05d...473d93df9210"
      }
    ]
  }]
}

The following example shows how to change a User's entire "work" address.

PATCH /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"

{ 
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [{
    "op":"replace",
    "path":"addresses[type eq \"work\"]",
    "value":
    {
      "type": "work",
      "streetAddress": "911 Universal City Plaza",
      "locality": "Hollywood",
      "region": "CA",
      "postalCode": "91608",
      "country": "US",
      "formatted": "911 Universal City Plaza\nHollywood, CA 91608 US",
      "primary": true
    }
  }]
}

The following example shows how to change a User's "work" email address:

PATCH /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"

{ 
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [{
    "op":"replace",
    "path":"emails[type eq \"work\"].value",
    "value":"bjenson@example.com"
  }]
}

The following example shows how to replace one or more attributes of a User resource. 

PATCH /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"

{ 
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp"],
  [{
    "op":"replace",
    "value":"{
      "emails":[
        { 
          "value":"bjensen@example.com",
          "type":"work",
          "primary":true
        },
        {
          "value":"babs@jensen.org",
          "type":"home"
        }
      ],
      "nickname":"Babs"
  }]
}

3.4. Deleting Resources

Clients request resource removal via DELETE. Service providers MAY choose not to permanently delete the resource, but MUST return a 404 error code for all operations associated with the previously deleted Id. Service providers MUST also omit the resource from future query results. In addition the service provider SHOULD NOT consider the deleted resource in conflict calculation. For example if a User resource is deleted, a CREATE request for a User resource with the same userName as the previously deleted resource should not fail with a 409 error due to userName conflict.

DELETE /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
Host: example.com
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-Match: W/"c310cd84f0281b7"

In response to a successful delete, the server SHALL respond with successful HTTP status 204 (No Content). A non-normative example response:

            
HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

Example: client attempt to retrieve the previously deleted User

GET /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
Host: example.com
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8

Server Response:

            
HTTP/1.1 404 NOT FOUND

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
  "Errors":[
    {
      "description":"Resource 2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646 not found",
      "code":"404"
    }
  ]
}

3.5. Bulk

The SCIM bulk operation is an optional server feature that enables clients to send a potentially large collection of resource operations in a single request. The body of a a bulk operation contains a set of HTTP resource operations using one of the API supported HTTP methods; i.e., POST, PUT, PATCH or DELETE.

Bulk requests are identified using the following URI: urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkRequest. Bulk responses are identified using the following URI: urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkResponse. Bulk requests and bulk responses share many attributes. Unless otherwise specified, each attribute below is present in both bulk requests and bulk responses.

The following Singular Attribute is defined in addition to the common attributes defined in SCIM core schema.

failOnErrors
An Integer specifying the number of errors that the service provider will accept before the operation is terminated and an error response is returned. OPTIONAL in a request. Not valid in a response.

The following Complex Multi-valued Attribute is defined in addition to the common attributes defined in core schema.

Operations
Defines operations within a bulk job. Each operation corresponds to a single HTTP request against a resource endpoint. REQUIRED.
method
The HTTP method of the current operation. Possible values are POST, PUT, PATCH or DELETE. REQUIRED.
bulkId
The transient identifier of a newly created resource, unique within a bulk request and created by the client. The bulkId serves as a surrogate resource id enabling clients to uniquely identify newly created resources in the Response and cross reference new resources in and across operations within a bulk request. REQUIRED when method is POST.
version
The current resource version. Version is MAY be used if the service provider supports ETags and the method is PUT, PATCH, or DELETE.
path
The resource's relative path. If the method is POST the value must specify a resource type endpoint; e.g., /Users or /Groups whereas all other method values must specify the path to a specific resource; e.g., /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646. REQUIRED in a request.
data
The resource data as it would appear for a single POST, PUT or PATCH resource operation. REQUIRED in a request when method is POST, PUT and PATCH.
location
The resource endpoint URL. REQUIRED in a response, except in the event of a POST failure.
response
The HTTP response body to the specified request operation. When indicating a response with an HTTP status other than a 200 series response, the response body MUST be included. For normal completion, the server MAY elect to omit the response body.
status
The HTTP response status code to the requested operation. When indicating an error, the response attribute MUST contain the detailed error response as per Section 3.10.

If a bulk job is processed successfully the HTTP response code 200 OK MUST be returned, otherwise an appropriate HTTP error code MUST be returned.

The service provider MUST continue performing as many changes as possible and disregard partial failures. The client MAY override this behavior by specifying a value for the failOnErrors attribute. The failOnErrors attribute defines the number of errors that the service provider should accept before failing the remaining operations returning the response.

To be able to reference a newly created resource the attribute bulkId MUST be specified when creating new resources. The bulkId is defined by the client as a surrogate identifier in a POST operation. The service provider MUST return the same bulkId together with the newly created resource. The bulkId can then be used by the client to map the service provider id with the bulkId of the created resource.

A SCIM service provider MAY elect to optimize a sequence operations received (e.g. to improve processing performance). When doing so, the service provider MUST ensure the clients intent is preserved and the same stateful result is achieved as for non-optimized processing. For example, before a User can be added to a Group, they must first be created. Processing these requests out of order, might result in a failure to add the new User to the Group.

The service provider response MUST include the result of all processed operations. A location attribute that includes the resource's endpoint MUST be returned for all operations excluding failed POSTs. The status attribute includes information about the success or failure of one operation within the bulk job. The attribute status MUST include the code attribute that holds the HTTP response code that would have been returned if a single HTTP request would have been used. If an error occurred the status MUST also include the description attribute containing a human readable explanation of the error.

                   
"status": "201"

The following is an example of a status in a failed operation.

                    
"status": "400",
"response":{
     "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
     "scimType":"invalidSyntax"
     "detail":"Request is unparseable, syntactically incorrect, or violates schema.",
     "status":"400"
 }

The following example shows how to add, update, and remove a user. The failOnErrors attribute is set to '1' indicating the service provider should return on the first error. The POST operation's bulkId value is set to 'qwerty' enabling the client to match the new User with the returned resource id '92b725cd-9465-4e7d-8c16-01f8e146b87a'.

                    
POST /v2/Bulk
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
Content-Length: ...

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkRequest"],
  "failOnErrors":1,
  "Operations":[
    {
      "method":"POST",
      "path":"/Users",
      "bulkId":"qwerty",
      "data":{
        "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:User"],
        "userName":"Alice"
      }
    },
    {
      "method":"PUT",
      "path":"/Users/b7c14771-226c-4d05-8860-134711653041",
      "version":"W\/\"3694e05e9dff591\"",
      "data":{
        "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
        "id":"b7c14771-226c-4d05-8860-134711653041",
        "userName":"Bob"
      }
    },
    {
      "method": "PATCH",
      "path": "/Users/5d8d29d3-342c-4b5f-8683-a3cb6763ffcc",
      "version": "W/\"edac3253e2c0ef2\"",
      "data": {[
        {
            "op": "remove",
            "path": "nickName"
        },
        {
            "op": "add",
            "path": "userName",
            "value": "Dave"
        }
      ]}
    },
    {
      "method":"DELETE",
      "path":"/Users/e9025315-6bea-44e1-899c-1e07454e468b",
      "version":"W\/\"0ee8add0a938e1a\""
    }
  ]
}

The service provider returns the following response.

                    
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json

{
    "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkResponse"],
    "Operations": [
        {
            "location": "https://example.com/v2/Users/92b725cd-9465-4e7d-8c16-01f8e146b87a",
            "method": "POST",
            "bulkId": "qwerty",
            "version": "W\/\"oY4m4wn58tkVjJxK\"",
            "status": "201"
        },
        {
            "location": "https://example.com/v2/Users/b7c14771-226c-4d05-8860-134711653041",
            "method": "PUT",
            "version": "W\/\"huJj29dMNgu3WXPD\"",
            "status": "200"
        },
        {
            "location": "https://example.com/v2/Users/5d8d29d3-342c-4b5f-8683-a3cb6763ffcc",
            "method": "PATCH",
            "version": "W\/\"huJj29dMNgu3WXPD\"",
            "status": "200"
        },
        {
            "location": "https://example.com/v2/Users/e9025315-6bea-44e1-899c-1e07454e468b",
            "method": "DELETE",
            "status": "204"
        }
    ]
}

The following response is returned if an error occurred when attempting to create the User 'Alice'. The service provider stops processing the bulk operation and immediately returns a response to the client. The response contains the error and any successful results prior to the error.

                  
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkResponse"],
  "Operations": [
    {
      "method": "POST",
      "bulkId": "qwerty",
      "status": "400",
      "response":{
         "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
         "scimType":"invalidSyntax"
         "detail":"Request is unparseable, syntactically incorrect, or violates schema.",
         "status":"400"
      }
    }
  ]
}

If the failOnErrors attribute is not specified or the service provider has not reached the error limit defined by the client the service provider will continue to process all operations. The following is an example in which all operations failed.

            
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkResponse"],
  "Operations": [
    {
      "method": "POST",
      "bulkId": "qwerty",
      "status": "400",
      "response":{
         "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
         "scimType":"invalidSyntax"
         "detail":"Request is unparseable, syntactically incorrect, or violates schema.",
         "status":"400"
      }
    },
    {
      "location": "https://example.com/v2/Users/b7c14771-226c-4d05-8860-134711653041",
      "method": "PUT",
      "status": "412",
      "response":{
          "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
          "detail":"Failed to update as user changed on the server since you last retrieved it.",
          "status":"412"
      }
    },
    {
      "location": "https://example.com/v2/Users/5d8d29d3-342c-4b5f-8683-a3cb6763ffcc",
      "method": "PATCH",
      "status": "412",
      "response":{
          "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
          "detail":"Failed to update as user changed on the server since you last retrieved it.",
          "status":"412"
      }
    },
    {
      "location": "https://example.com/v2/Users/e9025315-6bea-44e1-899c-1e07454e468b",
      "method": "DELETE",
      "status": "404",
      "response":{
          "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
          "detail":"Resource does not exist.",
          "status":"404"
      }
    }
  ]
}

The client can, within one bulk operation, create a new User, a new Group and add the newly created User to the newly created Group. In order to add the new User to the Group the client must use the surrogate id attribute, bulkId, to reference the User. The bulkId attribute value must be pre-pended with the literal "bulkId:"; e.g., if the bulkId is 'qwerty' the value is “bulkId:qwerty”. The service provider MUST replace the string “bulkId:qwerty” with the permanent resource id once created.

The following example creates a User with the userName 'Alice' and a Group with the displayName 'Tour Guides' with Alice as a member.

            
POST /v2/Bulk
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
Content-Length: ...

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkRequest"],
  "Operations": [
    {
      "method": "POST",
      "path": "/Users",
      "bulkId": "qwerty",
      "data": {
        "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
        "userName": "Alice"
      }
    },
    {
      "method": "POST",
      "path": "/Groups",
      "bulkId": "ytrewq",
      "data": {
        "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:Group"],
        "displayName": "Tour Guides",
        "members": [
          {
            "type": "User",
            "value": "bulkId:qwerty"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

The service provider returns the following response.

            
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkResponse"],
  "Operations": [
    {
      "location": "https://example.com/v2/Users/92b725cd-9465-4e7d-8c16-01f8e146b87a",
      "method": "POST",
      "bulkId": "qwerty",
      "version": "W\/\"4weymrEsh5O6cAEK\"",
      "status": "201"
    },
    {
      "location": "https://example.com/v2/Groups/e9e30dba-f08f-4109-8486-d5c6a331660a",
      "method": "POST",
      "bulkId": "ytrewq",
      "version": "W\/\"lha5bbazU3fNvfe5\"",
      "status": "201"
    }
  ]
}

A subsequent request for the 'Tour Guides' Group ('e9e30dba-f08f-4109-8486-d5c6a331660a') returns the following:

          
GET /v2/Groups/e9e30dba-f08f-4109-8486-d5c6a331660a
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8

            
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Location: https://example.com/v2/Groups/e9e30dba-f08f-4109-8486-d5c6a331660a
ETag: W/"lha5bbazU3fNvfe5"

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:Group"],
  "id": "e9e30dba-f08f-4109-8486-d5c6a331660a",
  "displayName": "Tour Guides",
  "meta": {
    "resourceType": "Group",
    "created": "2011-08-01T18:29:49.793Z",
    "lastModified": "2011-08-01T20:31:02.315Z",
    "location": "https://example.com/v2/Groups/e9e30dba-f08f-4109-8486-d5c6a331660a",
    "version": "W\/\"lha5bbazU3fNvfe5\""
  },
  "members": [
    {
      "value": "92b725cd-9465-4e7d-8c16-01f8e146b87a",
      "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Users/92b725cd-9465-4e7d-8c16-01f8e146b87a",
      "type": "User"
    }
  ]
}

Extensions that include references to other resources MUST be handled in the same way by the service provider. The following example uses the bulkId attribute within the enterprise extension managerId attribute.

            
POST /v2/Bulk
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
Content-Length: ...

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkRequest"],
  "Operations": [
    {
      "method": "POST",
      "path": "/Users",
      "bulkId": "qwerty",
      "data": {
        "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
        "userName": "Alice"
      }
    },
    {
      "method": "POST",
      "path": "/Users",
      "bulkId": "ytrewq",
      "data": {
        "schemas": [
          "urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User",
          "urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:enterprise:2.0:User"
        ],
        "userName": "Bob",
        "urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:enterprise:2.0:User": {
          "employeeNumber": "11250",
          "manager": {
            "managerId": "batchId:qwerty",
            "displayName": "Alice"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

The service provider MUST try to resolve circular cross references between resources in a single bulk job but MAY stop after a failed attempt and instead return the status code 409 Conflict. The following example exhibits the potential conflict.

            
POST /v2/Bulk
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
Content-Length: ...

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:BulkRequest"],
  "Operations": [
    {
      "method": "POST",
      "path": "/Groups",
      "bulkId": "qwerty",
      "data": {
        "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:Group"],
        "displayName": "Group A",
        "members": [
          {
            "type": "Group",
            "value": "bulkId:ytrewq"
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "method": "POST",
      "path": "/Groups",
      "bulkId": "ytrewq",
      "data": {
        "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:Group"],
        "displayName": "Group B",
        "members": [
          {
            "type": "Group",
            "value": "bulkId:qwerty"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

If the service provider resolved the above circular references the following is returned from a subsequent GET request.

            
GET /v2/Groups?filter=displayName sw 'Group'
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8

            
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:ListResponse"],
  "totalResults": 2,
  "Resources": [
    {
      "id": "c3a26dd3-27a0-4dec-a2ac-ce211e105f97",
      "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:Group"],
      "displayName": "Group A",
      "meta": {
        "resourceType": "Group",
        "created": "2011-08-01T18:29:49.793Z",
        "lastModified": "2011-08-01T18:29:51.135Z",
        "location": "https://example.com/v2/Groups/c3a26dd3-27a0-4dec-a2ac-ce211e105f97",
        "version": "W\/\"mvwNGaxB5SDq074p\""
      },
      "members": [
        {
          "value": "6c5bb468-14b2-4183-baf2-06d523e03bd3",
          "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Groups/6c5bb468-14b2-4183-baf2-06d523e03bd3",
          "type": "Group"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "6c5bb468-14b2-4183-baf2-06d523e03bd3",
      "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:Group"],
      "displayName": "Group B",
      "meta": {
        "resourceType": "Group",
        "created": "2011-08-01T18:29:50.873Z",
        "lastModified": "2011-08-01T18:29:50.873Z",
        "location": "https://example.com/v2/Groups/6c5bb468-14b2-4183-baf2-06d523e03bd3",
        "version": "W\/\"wGB85s2QJMjiNnuI\""
      },
      "members": [
        {
          "value": "c3a26dd3-27a0-4dec-a2ac-ce211e105f97",
          "$ref": "https://example.com/v2/Groups/c3a26dd3-27a0-4dec-a2ac-ce211e105f97",
          "type": "Group"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The service provider MUST define the maximum number of operations and maximum payload size a client may send in a single request. If either limits are exceeded the service provider MUST return the HTTP response code 413 Request Entity Too Large. The returned response MUST specify the limit exceeded in the body of the error response.

The following example the client sent a request exceeding the service provider's max payload size of 1 megabyte.

            
POST /v2/Bulk
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
Content-Length: 4294967296

…
            
HTTP/1.1 413 Request Entity Too Large
Content-Type: application/scim+json

{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
  "status": "413",
  "detail":"The size of the bulk operation exceeds the maxPayloadSize (1048576)."
}

3.6. Data Input/Output Formats

Servers MUST accept requests and respond with JSON structured responses using UTF-8 encoding [RFC3629], UTF-8 SHALL be the default encoding format.

              
GET /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646.scim
Host: example.com

Clients using other encodings MUST specify the format in which the data is submitted via HTTP header Content-Type as specified in Section 3.1.1.5 [RFC7231] and MAY specify the desired response data format via an HTTP Accept header ( Section 5.3.2 [RFC7231] ); e.g., Accept: application/scim+json or via URI suffix; e.g.,

Service providers MUST support the accept header Accept: application/scim+json and SHOULD support header Accept: application/json both of which specify JSON documents conforming to [RFC7159]. The format defaults to application/scim+json if no format is specified.

Singular attributes are encoded as string name-value-pairs in JSON; e.g.,

"attribute": "value"

Multi-valued attributes in JSON are encoded as arrays; e.g.,

"attributes": [ "value1", "value2" ]

Elements with nested elements are represented as objects in JSON; e.g,

"attribute": { "subattribute1": "value1", "subattribute2": "value2" }

3.7. Additional Operation Response Parameters

For any SCIM operation where a resource representation is returned (e.g. HTTP GET), the attributes returned are defined as the minimum attribute set plus default attributes set. The minimum set are those attributes whose schema have returned set to always. The default attribute set are those attributes whose schema have returned set to default.

Clients MAY request a partial resource representation on any operation that returns a resource within the response by specifying either of the mutually exclusive URL query parameters attributes OR excludedAtributes as follows:

attributes
When specified the default list of attributes SHALL be overridden and each resource returned MUST contain the minimum set of resource attributes and any attributes or sub-attributes explicitly requested by the attributes parameter. The query parameter attributes value is a comma separated list of resource attribute names in standard attribute notation [attribute-notation] form (e.g. userName, name, emails).
excludedAttributes
When specified, each resource returned MUST contain the minimal set of resource attributes. Additionally, the default set of attributes minus those attributes listed in excludedAttributes are also returned. The query parameter attributes value is a comma separated list of resource attribute names in standard attribute notation [attribute-notation] form (e.g. userName, name, emails).

.

GET /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646?attributes=userName
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8

Giving the response


HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Location: https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
ETag: W/"a330bc54f0671c9"

{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
  "id":"2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
  "userName":"bjensen",
  "meta":{
    "resourceType": "User",
    "created":"2011-08-01T18:29:49.793Z",
    "lastModified":"2011-08-01T18:29:49.793Z",
    "location":"https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
    "version":"W\/\"a330bc54f0671c9\""
  }
}

3.8. Attribute Notation

All operations share a common scheme for referencing simple and complex attributes. In general, attributes are identified by prefixing the attribute name with its schema URN separated by a ':' character; e.g., the core User resource attribute 'userName' is identified as urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User:userName. Clients MAY omit core schema attribute URN prefixes though MUST fully qualify extended attributes with the associated resource URN; e.g., the attribute 'age' defined in urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:exampleCo:2.0:hr is fully encoded as urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:exampleCo:2.0:hr:age. A Complex attributes' Sub-Attributes are referenced via nested, dot ('.') notation; i.e., {urn}:{Attribute name}.{Sub-Attribute name}. For example, the fully qualified path for a User's givenName is urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User:name.givenName All facets (URN, attribute and Sub-Attribute name) of the fully encoded Attribute name are case insensitive.

3.9. "/Me" Authenticated Subject Alias

A client MAY use a URL of the form <base-URI>/Me as a URI alias for the User or other resource associated with the currently authenticated subject for any SCIM operation. A service provider MAY respond in ONE of 3 ways:

  • A service provider that does NOT support this feature SHOULD respond with status 403 (FORBIDDEN).
  • A service provider MAY choose to redirect the client using HTTP status 308 to the resource associated with the authenticated subject. The client MAY then repeat the request at the indicated location.
  • A service provider MAY process the SCIM request directly. In any response, the HTTP "Location" header MUST be the permanent location of the aliased resource associated with the authenticated subject.

3.10. HTTP Status and Error Response Handling

The SCIM Protocol uses the HTTP status response status codes defined in Section 6 [RFC7231] to indicate operation success or failure. In addition to returning a HTTP response code implementers MUST return the errors in the body of the response in the client requested format containing the error response and, per the HTTP specification, human-readable explanations. Error responses are identified using the following schema URI: urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error. The following attributes are defined for a SCIM error response using a JSON body:

status

The HTTP status code (see Section 6 [RFC7231]). REQUIRED
scimType

A SCIM detailed error keyword. See Table 8. OPTIONAL
detail

A detailed, human readable message. OPTIONAL

Implementers SHOULD handle the identified HTTP status codes as described below.

SCIM HTTP Status Code Usage
Status Applicability Suggested Explanation
307 TEMPORARY REDIRECT GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE The client is directed to repeat the same HTTP request at the location identified. The client SHOULD NOT use the location provided in the response as a permanent reference to the resource and SHOULD continue to use the original request URI [RFC7231].
308 PERMANENT REDIRECT GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE The client is directed to repeat the same HTTP request at the location identified. The client SHOULD use the location provided in the response as the permanent reference to the resource [I-D.reschke-http-status-308].
400 BAD REQUEST GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE Request is unparseable, syntactically incorrect, or violates schema
401 UNAUTHORIZED GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE Authorization failure
403 FORBIDDEN GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE Server does not support requested operation
404 NOT FOUND GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE Specified resource (e.g., User) or end-point, does not exist
409 CONFLICT POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE The specified version number does not match the resource's latest version number or a service provider refused to create a new, duplicate resource
412 PRECONDITION FAILED PUT, PATCH,D ELETE Failed to update as resource {id} changed on the server last retrieved
413 REQUEST ENTITY TOO LARGE POST {"maxOperations": 1000,"maxPayload": 1048576}
500 INTERNAL SERVER ERROR GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE An internal error. Implementers SHOULD provide descriptive debugging advice
501 NOT IMPLEMENTED GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE Service Provider does not support the request operation; e.g., PATCH

For HTTP Status 400 (Bad Request) responses, the following detail error types are defined:

Table of SCIM Detail Error Keyword Values
scimType Description Applicability
invalidFilter The specified filter syntax was invalid (does not comply with Figure 1) or the specified attribute and filter comparison combination is not supported. GET(Section 3.2.2), POST (Search - Section 3.2.3), PATCH (Path Filter - Section 3.3.2)
tooMany The specified filter yields many more results than the server is willing calculate or process. For example, a filter such as (userName pr) by itself would return all entries with a userName and MAY not be acceptable to the service provider. GET(Section 3.2.2), POST (Search - Section 3.2.3)
uniqueness One or more of attribute values is already in use or is reserved. POST (Create - Section 3.1), PUT (Section 3.3.1), PATCH (Section 3.3.2)
mutability The attempted modification is not compatible with the target attributes mutability or current state (e.g. modification of an immutable attribute with an existing value). PUT (Section 3.3.1), PATCH (Section 3.3.2)
invalidSyntax The request body message structure was invalid or did not conform to the request schema. POST (Search - Section 3.2.2, Create - Section 3.1, Bulk - Section 3.5), PUT (Section 3.3.1)
invalidPath The path attribute was invalid or malformed (see Figure 5). PATCH (Section 3.3.2)
noTarget The specified path did not yield an attribute or attribute value that could be operated on. This occurs when the specified path value contains a filter that yields no match. PATCH (Section 3.3.2)
invalidValue A required value was missing, or the value specified was not compatible with the operation or attribute type (see Section 2.1 [I-D.ietf-scim-core-schema]). GET (Section 3.2.2), POST (Create - Section 3.1, Query - Section 3.2.2), PUT (Section 3.3.1), PATCH (Section 3.3.2)
invalidVers The specified SCIM protocol version is not supported (see Section 3.11). GET (Section 3.2.2), POST (ALL), PUT (Section 3.3.1), PATCH (Section 3.3.2), DELETE (Section 3.4)

Note that in the table above (Table 8), the applicability table applies to the normal HTTP method but MAY apply within a SCIM Bulk operation (via HTTP POST).

HTTP/1.1 404 NOT FOUND

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
  "detail":"Resource 2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646 not found",
  "status":"404
}

Error example in response to a non-existent GET request.

HTTP/1.1 400 BAD REQUEST

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
  "scimType":"mutability"
  "detail":"Attribute 'id' is readOnly",
  "status":"400"
}

Error example in response to a PUT request.

[[Editor's note: while the detail error codes seem to have consensus, there is a question about whether the error codes should be extensible so that individual service providers may define site specific codes. Should all scimTypes be URIs, so that scimTypes can be registered via IANA? Should there be a separate field defined for this purpose? Or, should custom signalling (for non-protocol/schema errors, be out of scope?]]

3.11. API Versioning

The Base URL MAY be appended with a version identifier as a separate segment in the URL path. At this time of this specification, the identifier is 'v2'. If specified, the version identifier MUST appear in the URL path immediately preceding the resource endpoint and conform to the following scheme: the character 'v' followed by the desired SCIM version number; e.g., a version 'v2' User request is specified as /v2/Users. When specified service providers MUST perform the operation using the desired version or reject the request. When omitted service providers SHOULD perform the operation using the most recent SCIM protocol version supported by the service provider.

3.12. Versioning Resources

The SCIM protocol supports resource versioning via standard HTTP ETags Section 2.3 [RFC7233]. Service providers MAY support weak ETags as the preferred mechanism for performing conditional retrievals and ensuring clients do not inadvertently overwrite each others changes, respectively. When supported SCIM ETags MUST be specified as an HTTP header and SHOULD be specified within the 'version' attribute contained in the resource's 'meta' attribute.

Example:

POST /Users  HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Content-Type:  application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
Content-Length: ...

{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
  "userName":"bjensen",
  "externalId":"bjensen",
  "name":{
    "formatted":"Ms. Barbara J Jensen III",
    "familyName":"Jensen",
    "givenName":"Barbara"
  }
}

The server responds with an ETag in the response header and meta structure.

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-Type: application/scim+json
Location: https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646
ETag: W/"e180ee84f0671b1"

{
  "schemas":["urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User"],
  "id":"2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
  "meta":{
    "resourceType":"User",
    "created":"2011-08-01T21:32:44.882Z",
    "lastModified":"2011-08-01T21:32:44.882Z",
    "location":"https://example.com/v2/Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646",
    "version":"W\/\"e180ee84f0671b1\""
  },
  "name":{
    "formatted":"Ms. Barbara J Jensen III",
    "familyName":"Jensen",
    "givenName":"Barbara"
  },
  "userName":"bjensen"
}

With the returned ETag, clients MAY choose to retrieve the resource only if the resource has been modified.

Conditional retrieval example using If-None-Match Section 3.2 [RFC7233] header:

GET /Users/2819c223-7f76-453a-919d-413861904646?attributes=displayName
Host: example.com
Accept: application/scim+json
Authorization: Bearer h480djs93hd8
If-None-Match: W/"e180ee84f0671b1"

If the resource has not changed the service provider simply returns an empty body with a 304 "Not Modified" response code.

If the service providers supports versioning of resources the client MAY supply an If-Match Section 3.1 [RFC7233] header for PUT and PATCH operations to ensure that the requested operation succeeds only if the supplied ETag matches the latest service provider resource; e.g., If-Match: W/"e180ee84f0671b1"

4. Preparation and Comparison of Internationalized Strings

To increase the likelihood that the input and comparison of unicode usernames and passwords will work in ways that make sense for typical users throughout the world there are special string preparation and comparison methods (PRECIS) that MUST be followed for usernames and passwords. Before comparing or evaluating uniqueness of a userName or password attribute, service providers MUST use the "PRECIS" profile described in Sections 4 and 5 respectively of [I-D.ietf-precis-saslprepbis] and is based on the "PRECIS" framework specification [I-D.ietf-precis-framework].

5. Multi-Tenancy

A single service provider may expose the SCIM protocol to multiple clients. Depending on the nature of the service, the clients may have authority to access and alter resources initially created by other clients. Alternatively, clients may expect to access disjoint sets of resources, and may expect that their resources are inaccessible by other clients. These scenarios are called "multi-tenancy", where each client is understood to be or represent a "tenant" of the service provider. Clients may also be multi-tenanted.

The following common cases may occur:

  1. All clients share all resources (no tenancy)
  2. Each single client creates and accesses a private subset of resources (1 client:1 Tenant)
  3. Sets of clients share sets of resources (M clients:1 Tenant)
  4. One client to Multiple Tenants (1 client:M Tenants)

Service providers may implement any subset of the above cases.

Multi-Tenancy is OPTIONAL. The SCIM protocol does not define a scheme for multi-tenancy.

The SCIM protocol does not prescribe the mechanisms whereby clients and service providers interact for:

  • Registering or provisioning Tenants
  • Associating a subset of clients with a subset of the Tenants
  • Indicating which tenant is associated with the data in a request or response, or indicating which Tenant is the subject of a query

5.1. Associating Clients to Tenants

The service provider MAY use the authentication mechanism (Section 2) to determine the identity of the client, and thus infer the associated Tenant.

For implementations where a client is associated with more than one Tenant, the service provider MAY use one of the following methods for explicit specification of the Tenant.

If any of these methods of allowing the client to explicitly specify the Tenant are employed, the service provider should ensure that access controls are in place to prevent or allow cross-tenant use cases.

The service provider should consider precedence in cases where a client may explicitly specify a Tenant while being implicitly associated with a different Tenant.

In all of these methods, the {tenant_id} is a unique identifier for the Tenant as defined by the service provider.

  • A URL prefix: https://www.example.com/Tenants/{tenant_id}/v2/Users
  • A sub-domain: https://{tenant_id}.example.com/v2/Groups
  • The service provider may recognize a {tenant_id} provided by the client in an HTTP Header as the indicator of the desired target Tenant.

5.2. SCIM Identifiers with Multiple Tenants

Considerations for a Multi-Tenant Implementation:

The service provider may choose to implement SCIM ids which are unique across all resources for all Tenants, but this is not required.

The externalId, defined by the client, is required to be unique ONLY within the resources associated with the associated Tenant.

6. Security Considerations

6.1. TLS Support

The SCIM Protocol layers on top of Hypertext Transfer Protocol and thus subject to the security considerations of HTTP Section 9 [RFC7230] and its related specifications.

SCIM resources (e.g., Users and Groups) can contain sensitive information. Therefore, SCIM clients and service providers MUST implement TLS. Which version(s) ought to be implemented will vary over time, and depend on the widespread deployment and known security vulnerabilities at the time of implementation. At the time of this writing, TLS version 1.2 [RFC5246] is the most recent version, but has very limited actual deployment, and might not be readily available in implementation toolkits. TLS version 1.0 [RFC2246] is the most widely deployed version, and will give the broadest interoperability.

6.2. Disclosure of Sensitive Information in URIs

As mentioned in ,Section 9.4 [RFC7231], SCIM clients requesting information using query filters using HTTP GET SHOULD give consideration to the information content of the filters and whether their exposure in a URI would represent a breach of security or confidentiality through leakage in a web browsers or server logs. This is particularly true for information that is legally considered "personally identifiable information" or is otherwise restricted by privacy laws. In these situations to ensure maximum security and confidentiality, clients SHOULD query using HTTP POST (see Section 3.2.3 ).


HTTP/1.1 403 FORBIDDEN

{
  "schemas": ["urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:Error"],
  "Errors":[
    {
      "description":"Query filter involving 'name' is restricted or confidential",
      "error":"confidential_restricted"
    }
  ]
}

Servers that receive HTTP GET requests using filters that contain restricted or confidential information SHOULD respond with HTTP status 403 indicating the operation is FORBIDDEN. A detailed error, confidential_restricted may be returned indicating the request must be submitted using POST. A non-normative example:

6.3. HTTP Considerations

As an HTTP based protocol, implementers of SCIM SHOULD consider all security considerations of the HTTP/1.1 as enumerated in Section 1 [RFC7230]

As stated in Section 2.7.1 [RFC7230], a SCIM client MUST NOT generate the userinfo (i.e. username and password) component (and its "@" delimiter) when an "http" URI reference is generated with a message as they are now disallowed in HTTP.

6.4. Secure Storage and Handling of Sensitive Data

An attacker may obtain valid username/password combinations from the SCIM service provider's underlying database by gaining access to the database and/or launching injection attacks. This could lead to unintended disclosure of username/password combinations. The impact may extend beyond the domain of the SCIM service provider if the data was provisioned from other domains.

Administrators should undertake industry best practices to protect the storage of credentials and in particular SHOULD follow recommendations outlines in Section 5.1.4.1 [RFC6819]. These recommendations include but are not limited to:

  • Provide injection attack counter measures (e.g. by validating all inputs and parameters),
  • No cleartext storage of credentials,
  • Store credentials using an encrypted protection mechanism, and
  • Avoid passwords and consider use of asymmetric cryptography based credentials.

As outlined in Section 5.1.4.2 [RFC6819], adminitrators SHOULD take counter measures to prevent online attacks on secrets such as:

  • Utilize secure password policy in order to increase user password entrophy to hinder online attacks and password guessing,
  • Mitigate attacks on passwords by locking respective accounts have a number of failed attempts,
  • Use "tar pit" techniques by temporarily locking a respective account and delaying responses for a certain duration. The duration may increase with the number of failed attempts, and
  • Use authentication system that use CAPTCHA's and other factors for authenticating users further reducing the possibility of automated attacks.

6.5. Case Insensitive Comparision & International Languages

When comparing unicode strings such as in query filters or testing for uniqueness of usernames and passwords, strings MUST be appopriately prepared before comparison. See Section 4.

7. IANA Considerations

7.1. Media Type Registration

To:
ietf-types@iana.org
Subject:
Registration of media type application/scim+json
Type name:
application
Subtype name:
scim+json
Required parameters:
none
Optional parameters:
none
Encoding considerations:
8bit
Security considerations:
See Section 6
Interoperability considerations:
The application/scim+json media type is intended to identify JSON structure data that conforms to the SCIM protocol and schema specifications. Older versions of SCIM are known to informally use application/json.
Published specification:
[[this document]]
Applications that use this media type:
It is expected that applications that use this type may be special purpose applications intended for inter-domain provisioning. Clients may also be applications (e.g. mobile applications) that need to use SCIM for self-registration of user accounts. SCIM services may be offered by web applications that offer support for standards based provisioning or may be a dedicated SCIM service provider such as a "cloud directory". Content may be treated as equivalent to application/json type for the purpose of displaying in web browsers.
Additional information:
Magic number(s):
File extension(s): .scim .scm
Macintosh file type code(s):
Person & email address to contact for futher information:
SCIM mailing list <scim@ietf.org>
Intended usage:
COMMON* (see restrictions)
Restrictions on usage:
For most client types, it is sufficient to recognize the content as equivalent to application/json. Applications intending to use SCIM protocol SHOULD use the application/scim+json media type.
Author:
Phil Hunt
Change controller:
IETF

7.2. SCIM Message URI Registry

As per the IANA SCIM Schema Registry in [I-D.ietf-scim-core-schema], the following registers and extends the SCIM Schema Registry to define SCIM protocol request/response JSON schema URN identifier prefix of urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0 which is part of the URN sub-Namespace for SCIM. There is no specific associated resource type.

SCIM Schema URIs for Data Resources
Schema URI Name Reference
urn:ietf:params:scim:api: messages:2.0:ListResponse List/Query Response See Section 3.2.2
urn:ietf:params:scim:api: messages:2.0:SearchRequest POST Query Request See Section 3.2.3
urn:ietf:params:scim:api: messages:2.0:PatchOp Patch Operation See Section 3.3.2
urn:ietf:params:scim:api: messages:2.0:BulkRequest Bulk Operations Request See Section 3.5
urn:ietf:params:scim:api: messages:2.0:BulkResponse Bulk Operations Response See Section 3.5
urn:ietf:params:scim:api: messages:2.0:Error Error Response See Section 3.10

8. References

8.1. Normative References

[I-D.ietf-precis-saslprepbis] Saint-Andre, P. and A. Melnikov, "Preparation and Comparison of Internationalized Strings Representing Usernames and Passwords", Internet-Draft draft-ietf-precis-saslprepbis-07, March 2014.
[I-D.ietf-scim-core-schema] Grizzle, K., Hunt, P., Wahlstroem, E. and C. Mortimore, "System for Cross-Domain Identity Management: Core Schema", Internet-Draft draft-ietf-scim-core-schema-08, August 2014.
[IANA.Language] Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), "Language Subtag Registry", 2005.
[RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
[RFC2246] Dierks, T. and C. Allen, "The TLS Protocol Version 1.0", RFC 2246, January 1999.
[RFC2616] Fielding, R., Gettys, J., Mogul, J., Frystyk, H., Masinter, L., Leach, P. and T. Berners-Lee, "Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- HTTP/1.1", RFC 2616, June 1999.
[RFC3454] Hoffman, P. and M. Blanchet, "Preparation of Internationalized Strings ("stringprep")", RFC 3454, December 2002.
[RFC3629] Yergeau, F., "UTF-8, a transformation format of ISO 10646", STD 63, RFC 3629, November 2003.
[RFC3986] Berners-Lee, T., Fielding, R. and L. Masinter, "Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax", STD 66, RFC 3986, January 2005.
[RFC5234] Crocker, D. and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for Syntax Specifications: ABNF", STD 68, RFC 5234, January 2008.
[RFC5246] Dierks, T. and E. Rescorla, "The Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol Version 1.2", RFC 5246, August 2008.
[RFC5789] Dusseault, L. and J. Snell, "PATCH Method for HTTP", RFC 5789, March 2010.
[RFC7159] Bray, T., "The JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Interchange Format", RFC 7159, March 2014.
[RFC7230] Fielding, R. and J. Reschke, "Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP/1.1): Message Syntax and Routing", RFC 7230, June 2014.
[RFC7231] Fielding, R. and J. Reschke, "Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP/1.1): Semantics and Content", RFC 7231, June 2014.
[RFC7233] Fielding, R., Lafon, Y. and J. Reschke, "Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP/1.1): Range Requests", RFC 7233, June 2014.
[RFC7235] Fielding, R. and J. Reschke, "Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP/1.1): Authentication", RFC 7235, June 2014.

8.2. Informative References

[I-D.ietf-precis-framework] Saint-Andre, P. and M. Blanchet, "PRECIS Framework: Preparation and Comparison of Internationalized Strings in Application Protocols", Internet-Draft draft-ietf-precis-framework-17, May 2014.
[I-D.reschke-http-status-308] Reschke, J., "The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Status Code 308 (Permanent Redirect)", Internet-Draft draft-reschke-http-status-308-07, March 2012.
[OpenSearch] Clinton, D., "OpenSearch Protocol 1.1, Draft 5", .
[Order-Operations] Wikipedia, "Order of Operations: Programming Languages", .
[RFC2277] Alvestrand, H., "IETF Policy on Character Sets and Languages", BCP 18, RFC 2277, January 1998.
[RFC6750] Jones, M. and D. Hardt, "The OAuth 2.0 Authorization Framework: Bearer Token Usage", RFC 6750, October 2012.
[RFC6819] Lodderstedt, T., McGloin, M. and P. Hunt, "OAuth 2.0 Threat Model and Security Considerations", RFC 6819, January 2013.
[RFC6902] Bryan, P. and M. Nottingham, "JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Patch", RFC 6902, April 2013.

Appendix A. Contributors

  • Samuel Erdtman (samuel@erdtman.se)
  • Patrick Harding (pharding@pingidentity.com)

Appendix B. Acknowledgments

The editors would like to acknowledge the contribution and work of the past draft editors:

  • Trey Drake, UnboundID
  • Chuck Mortimore, Salesforce

The editor would like to thank the participants in the the SCIM working group for their support of this specification.

Appendix C. Change Log

[[This section to be removed prior to publication as an RFC]]

Draft 02 - KG - Addition of schema extensibility

Draft 03 - PH - Revisions based on following tickets:

  • 24 - Add filter negation
  • 39 - Clarification on response for DELETE
  • 42 - Make root searches optional
  • 49 - Add "ew" filter
  • 50 - Filters for multi-valued complex attributes
  • 51 - Search by Schema
  • 53 - Standard use of term client (some was consumer)
  • 55 - Redirect support (3xx)
  • 56 - Make manager attribute consistent with other $ref attrs
  • 57 - Update all "/v1" examples to '/v2"
  • 59 - Fix capitalization per IETF editor practices
  • 60 - Changed <eref> tags to normal <xref> and <reference> tags

Draft 04 - PH - Revisions based on the following tickets:

  • 18 - New PATCH command based on JSON Patch (RFC6902)
  • - Provided ABNF specification for filters (used in PATCH)
  • - Updated references to RFC4627 to RFC7159

Draft 05 - PH - Revisions based on the following tickets:

  • 03 - Support for excludedAttributes parameter
  • 13 - Change client use of Etags from MUST to MAY (correction)
  • 23 - Clarifications regarding case exact processing.
  • 41 - Add IANA considerations
  • 65 - Removed X-HTTP-Method-Override support
  • 69 - Added clarifications to intro to align with draft-nottingham-uri-get-off-my-lawn
  • 70 - Remove SCIM_TENANT_ID header
  • 72 - Added text to indicate UTF-8 is default and mandatory encoding format per BCP18
  • 74 - Added security considerations for using GET with confidential attribute filters
  • - corrected error response in JSON PATCH operation

Draft 06 - PH - Revisions based on the following tickets and editorial changes

  • 41 - Revised content types from application/json to application/scim+json, registered API schemas
  • 63 - Revised uri schema prefixes for API json message schemas
  • 66 - Updated references for RFC2616 to HTTPbis
  • 75 - Added security considerations for International Strings and "PRECIS" support
  • 76 - Clarified handling of PUT (& POST) with regards to mutability and default values
  • - Corrected version numbers in sec 3.11 API Versioning to v2 (from v1)
  • - Clarified that no filter matches should return success totalResults=0

Draft 07 - PH - Revisions regarding support of detailed errors (Tickets 37, 46, 67)

Draft 08 - PH - Revisions as follows

  • - Added clarification on schemas handling during PATCH operation
  • - Revised example URN in Attribute Notation section to comply with IANA namespace rules
  • - Fixed typo in ABNF, attrExpr should be attrExp
  • - Added more security considerations for HTTP and sensitive data
  • - Revised authentication and authorization sections for greater clarity.
  • - Replaced the word "search" with "query" for consistency
  • - Clarified sucessful resource creation response
  • - Added clarification on primary value handling in PATCH (consistent with draft 03)
  • - Revised SCIM Bullk error handling to conform with draft 07 error handling

Draft 09 - PH - Revisions as follows

  • - Aligned API with new URN namespace per RFC3553 and IETF90 meeting
  • - Clarified URN usage within patch (what schema urn applies)
  • - Made 'path' optional in PATCH for Add and Replace

Authors' Addresses

Phil Hunt (editor) Oracle Corporation EMail: phil.hunt@yahoo.com
Kelly Grizzle SailPoint EMail: kelly.grizzle@sailpoint.com
Morteza Ansari Cisco EMail: morteza.ansari@cisco.com
Erik Wahlström Technology Nexus EMail: erik.wahlstrom@nexusgroup.com
Chuck Mortimore Salesforce.com EMail: cmortimore@salesforce.com