This article aims to explore the distinction between App Registration and Enterprise Application in Azure.

App Registration serves the purpose of developing and integrating applications with Azure Active Directory (AD), enabling communication with Azure AD and configuration of various settings. It is specific to a tenant or organization, creating both the Application and Enterprise App within the tenant and assigning a unique Application ID to registered applications. App Registration is primarily employed for the development and integration of applications within Azure.

Conversely, Enterprise Application refers to applications available in the Azure AD gallery by external companies, as well as an organization’s own applications represented as Service Principals. It facilitates the management and integration of third-party applications within an organization. Multiple instances of the same enterprise app can coexist and inter-app authorization is essential for two services within the same subscription.

Enterprise Application also represents the application identity (service principal) and is created regardless of granting permissions to a user from another tenant.

Overall, App Registration is utilized for developing and integrating applications with Azure, while Enterprise Application is employed for managing and integrating third-party applications within an organization.

App Registration vs Enterprise Application

When comparing App Registration and Enterprise Application in Azure, it is evident that:

• App Registration is primarily used for developing and integrating applications within a specific tenant.
• Enterprise Application is focused on managing and integrating third-party applications across an organization and multiple tenants.

App Registration allows developers to:

• Reserve an app and URL with Azure AD.
• Configure various settings.
• Obtain a unique Application ID.

It is local to the tenant/organization and creates both the Application and Enterprise App in the tenant. It enables the app to delegate to user identity for resource access.

On the other hand, Enterprise Application:

• Contains a list of service principals.
• Represents applications published by other companies in the AAD gallery.
• Can be used for integration purposes within an organization.
• Represents the organization’s own applications as Service Principals.
• Is necessary for inter-app authorization.
• Can be created in another tenant when granting permissions.

Purpose and Function

The purpose and function of an enterprise application and app registration in Azure can be distinguished by their respective roles in managing and integrating applications within an organization’s environment.

App registration in Azure is primarily used to reserve an app and URL with Azure AD, allowing the app to communicate with Azure AD and configure various settings. It is mainly focused on developing and integrating applications with Azure and is local to the tenant/organization.

On the other hand, enterprise applications in Azure refer to a list of service principals and can be used for integrating both third-party applications and an organization’s own applications. They are responsible for managing and integrating third-party applications within an organization and also represent the organization’s own applications as service principals.

Additionally, enterprise applications are necessary for inter-app authorization and can exist in multiple instances.

Relationship between Application Objects and Service Principals

Understanding the relationship between application objects and service principals is crucial for comprehending the underlying structure of Azure AD and its role in managing and integrating applications within an organization’s environment.

Application objects serve as templates that describe the application to Azure AD, providing a global representation across all tenants. On the other hand, service principals are instances of an application in a specific tenant, serving as the local representation.

Application objects define the application, while service principals are created based on these objects. In a multi-tenant scenario, application objects can be referenced by multiple service principals across directories, enabling the application to be used by different tenants.

This relationship allows for the management of application identities, access control, and delegation of permissions within Azure AD.