What is Azure AD, Microsoft Entra ID, AD?
Names can be confusing I get it…
In summary Microsoft Entra ID is simply the new name for Azure Active Directory.
Now there is a difference between the old school “active directory” and Azure active directory/ Microsoft Entra ID.
The main difference is that the “old school active directory” the user would come in on, and type their name and password for each server they needed to log into. So if there were 6 servers they would have to log in with multiple usernames or passwords. A traditional active directory also requires you to be in the network or the user has to be on premise. There this is referred to as an on premise active directory.
What is Microsoft Entra ID/ Azure Active Directory?
As mentioned both names are interchangeable and have the exact same functions. Azure AD was launched in 2008 , and was renamed to Microsoft Entra ID in 2023 due to the Entra product line in which Microsoft bundles all its products under.
Now the Microsoft Entra ID is a cloud based identity solution which means it doesn’t require you to be on premise within the company’s network. It uses a SAAS based model which means Microsoft can use the same identity for applications such as teams, Microsoft 365 etc.
In terms of logging in, the cloud based solution offers two factor authentication that relies on tokens, or claims to verify the user’s identity. Additionally since this isn’t premise based it can also verify that you log into a company with a valid IP address since users can attempt to log in from different areas since they aren’t “on premise”.
TD:LR
- Active directory refers to on prem network access
- Microsoft Entra ID/ Azure Active Directory is interchangeable
On Prem Active Directory vs Microsoft Entra ID differences are outlined under the official microsoft website Comparison Table .