---
title: Sources
---

Sources allow you to connect authentik to an external user directory. Sources can also be used with social login providers such as Facebook, Twitter, or GitHub.

## Find your source

Sources are in the following general categories:

- **Protocols** ([Kerberos](./protocols/kerberos/index.md), [LDAP](./protocols/ldap/index.md), [OAuth](./protocols/oauth/index.mdx), [SAML](./protocols/saml/index.md), and [SCIM](./protocols/scim/index.md))
- [**Property mappings**](./property-mappings/index.md) or how to import data from a source
- **Directory synchronization** (Active Directory, FreeIPA)
- **Social logins** (Apple, Discord, Twitch, Twitter, and many others)

For instructions to add a specific source, refer to the documentation links in the left navigation pane.

Several source types also expose an **Icon** field that uses the shared file picker. See [File picker values](../../customize/file-picker.md).

## Add sources to default login page

To have sources show on the default login screen you will need to add them to the flow. The process below assumes that you have not created or renamed the default stages and flows.

1. Log in to authentik as an administrator and open the authentik Admin interface.
2. Navigate to **Flows and Stages** > **Flows**.
3. Click the **default-authentication-flow**.
4. Click the **Stage Bindings** tab.
5. Click **Edit Stage** on the **default-authentication-identification** stage.
6. Under **Source settings**, add sources to **Selected sources** to have them displayed on the authentik login page.

## Bind a policy to a source

You can bind a policy to a source to control whether or not the users from the source can access an application.

For instructions, refer to [Bind a policy to a source](../../customize/policies/working_with_policies.md#bind-a-policy-to-a-source).
