![]() Consequently, a refresh token that has a very long lifespan could theoretically give infinite power to the token bearer to get a new access token to access protected resources anytime. The client application can get a new access token as long as the refresh token is valid and unexpired. In the diagram above, SPA = Single-Page Application AS = Authorization Server RS = Resource Server AT = Access Token RT = Refresh Token. That is, a refresh token is a credential artifact that lets a client application get new access tokens without having to ask the user to log in again. Once they expire, client applications can use a refresh token to "refresh" the access token. You can see both ID tokens and access tokens in action in any of our "Complete Guides to User Authentication" available for React, Angular, Vue, and Node.js! What Is a Refresh Token?Īs mentioned, for security purposes, access tokens may be valid for a short amount of time. Alternatively, the authorization server could issue a refresh token to the client application that lets it replace an expired access token with a new one. For example, once an access token expires, the client application could prompt the user to log in again to get a new access token. There are different ways that a client application can get a new access token for a user. One mitigation method is to create access tokens that have a short lifespan: they are only valid for a short time defined in terms of hours or days. ![]() Malicious users could theoretically compromise a system and steal access tokens, which in turn they could use to access protected resources by presenting those tokens directly to the server.Īs such, it's critical to have security strategies that minimize the risk of compromising access tokens. The access token then acts as a credential artifact to access protected resources rather than an identification artifact. It's important to highlight that the access token is a bearer token. This is the content of a decoded access token that follows the JWT format: Their basic structure conforms to the typical JWT structure, and they contain standard JWT claims asserted about the token itself. At Auth0, for example, access tokens issued for the Management API and access tokens issued for any custom API that you have registered with Auth0 follow the JSON Web Token (JWT) standard. OAuth 2.0 doesn't define a format for access tokens. When a client application needs to access protected resources on a server on behalf of a user, the access token lets the client signal to the server that it has received authorization by the user to perform certain tasks or access certain resources. When a user logins in, the authorization server issues an access token, which is an artifact that client applications can use to make secure calls to an API server. ![]() The consumers of ID tokens are mainly client applications such as Single-Page Applications (SPAs) and mobile applications. As such, client applications can use the ID token to build a user profile to personalize the user experience.Īn authentication server that conforms to the OpenID Connect (OIDC) protocol to implement the authentication process issues its clients an ID token whenever a user logs in. For example, the ID token can contain information about the name, email, and profile picture of a user. Token Types What's an ID token?Īs the name may suggest, an ID token is an artifact that client applications can use to consume the identity of a user. In the process, we'll see the critical role that refresh tokens play in helping developers build applications that offer convenience without compromising security. Let's explore the three token types that we use with OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect to fulfill the authentication and authorization processes of our application systems.
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