JWT and OAuth 2.0: How Modern Apps Handle Authentication and Authorization
Authentication confirms a user's identity, while authorization determines what actions they are permitted to perform — two distinct but related security functions. JSON Web Tokens (JWT) are self-contained, signed tokens that carry user claims and eliminate the need for server-side session storage or database lookups on each request. OAuth 2.0 is a delegated authorization framework that allows third-party applications to access user resources without requiring the user to share their password, powering flows like 'Sign in with Google.' JWT suits stateless, horizontally scaled systems such as microservices and mobile APIs, while OAuth 2.0 is preferred for third-party integrations and enterprise single sign-on. Key trade-offs include JWT's difficulty with instant token revocation and OAuth's implementation complexity, both of which can introduce security risks if misconfigured.
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