Which service is responsible for secure token exchange among vSphere components?

The service responsible for secure token exchange among vSphere components is vCenter Single Sign-On (SSO). It plays a critical role in the authentication process by allowing users to log in once and gain access to multiple vSphere services without the need to provide credentials each time.

vCenter SSO is designed to handle user authentication and facilitate a trust relationship between different vSphere components. When a user logs in, SSO generates a security token that can be used by other services in the vSphere environment for authorization. This capability enhances security and simplifies the user experience by reducing the need for multiple logins.

While other services like vCenter Server and Security Token Service (STS) operate within the vSphere ecosystem, their roles are different. vCenter Server manages the overall operations and resources of the virtual infrastructure, and STS is a component that issues security tokens. However, the primary function of SSO is to create and manage the secure token exchange mechanism that allows for seamless authentication across various vSphere components.