ZXID project has currently (Jan 2007) five outputs
A C library for supporting SAML 2.0, including federated Single Sign-On (SSO)
A C program that implements a SAML Service Provider (SP) as a CGI script
A Perl module wrapping libzxid. Also zxid.pl, that implements SP in mod_perl environment, is supplied.
A PHP extension that wraps libzxid. Also supplied: zxid.php that implements SP in mod_php environment.
A Java JNI extension that wraps libzxid. Also supplied: zxid.java that implements SP as a CGI script.
You need this if you are
You want to enable SAML based Single Sign-On (SSO) to your web site. In this case you would use the zxid SP CGI script directly, only configuring it slightly or you can go the zxid_simple() route. Otherwise you can hint your PHP or perl developer that this functionality is available and your want it.
You can use the Net::SAML module to integrate SSO to your application and web site. Given the direct perl support, this is easier than fully understanding the C interface. Both mod_perl and perl as CGI are supported.
You can use dl("php_zxid.so") to load the module and access the high level functionality, such as SAML 2.0 SSO. We support functionality roughly equivalent to perl Net::SAML. The PHP module is fully ready to use for SSO, but we expect to add a lot more, such as WSC, in future. Both mod_php5 and php as CGI are supported. php4 should also work.
You can use System.loadLibrary("zxidjni") to pull into your Java proram the full power of the ZXID. The functionality supported is roughly equal to Net::SAML.
You want to integrate SAML based SSO to your web site tool or product so that your customers can enjoy SSO enabled web sites. In this case you would study zxid.c for examples and use libzxid.a to implement the functionality in your own program.
You need some building blocks: you will study libzxid and add to it, contributing to the project.
ZXID Project has vastly more ambitious goals. See the ZXID Project chapter later in this document.