What is OAuth2?
OAuth2 is an authorization framework that allows third-party applications to access user data from a resource server without requiring the user to share their credentials. It provides a secure and standardized way to delegate access rights and protect sensitive information.
Why is OAuth2 important for securing microservices?
In a microservices architecture, where services are distributed and communicate with each other over the network, it is crucial to secure the communication and ensure that only authorized services can access sensitive data. OAuth2 helps in achieving this by providing a mechanism for authentication and authorization between services.
OAuth2 in action
To understand how OAuth2 works, let's consider a scenario where a client application wants to access data from a resource server on behalf of a user. Here are the high-level steps involved:
The client application redirects the user to the authorization server to request access to the user's data.
The user authenticates with the authorization server and grants permission to the client application.
The authorization server issues an access token to the client application.
The client application presents the access token to the resource server when requesting data.
The resource server validates the access token and, if valid, provides the requested data to the client application.
In this way, OAuth2 enables secure access to protected resources while eliminating the need for the client application to handle and store user credentials.