An architecture in which autonomous systems or organisations interoperate through agreed protocols and trust relationships while retaining independent control of their own resources, enabling cross-domain data and service exchange without centralised authority.
Semantic Classification
Content
- Federation links separately administered systems so they can exchange data or services under shared standards and trust agreements, without merging into a single centralised authority. Each participant keeps control of its own users, policies and infrastructure while honouring common protocols.
- The pattern appears in federated identity, where authentication is delegated across trust domains, and in federated communication networks and social platforms, where independent servers interoperate through defined protocols.