Exploring Token-Based and Session-Based Authentication: Understanding the Differences (2024)

FAQs

Exploring Token-Based and Session-Based Authentication: Understanding the Differences? ›

Statelessness:Session-based authentication relies on server-side storage and is inherently stateful. The server must maintain session data, making it more resource-intensive. Token-based authentication is stateless. Since tokens contain all the necessary information, servers don't need to store session data.

Sessions store user data server-side, identified by a session ID in cookies. On the other hand, tokens are stored client-side, they authenticate users and hold access rights, commonly used in OAuth 2.0 and JWTs for stateless authentication.

An SSO token is data, such as the user's login email address, that is passed from one system to another during the SSO process. Using a token-based authentication method, users verify their data and then receive a unique access token (created using the Skilljar API - see below), allowing them to log in.

Unlike passwords that a user must remember and enter manually, tokens are generated and managed automatically, either as a physical device (smart card or USB) or as a digital file. This token contains a unique identifier, which is critical for the authentication process.

What Is Token-based Authentication? Token-based authentication is a protocol that generates encrypted security tokens. It enables users to verify their identity to websites, which then generates a unique encrypted authentication token.

Typically, session authentication involves the following steps: The user sends a login request with an ID and password to the server through a browser. The server verifies the provided authentication information and establishes a session if it's correct. Session information is stored both on the server and in a Cookie.

Token-based authentication is different from traditional password-based or server-based authentication techniques. Tokens offer a second layer of security, and administrators have detailed control over each action and transaction.

Authentication is verifying the true identity of a user or entity, while authorization determines what a user can access and ensures that a user or entity receives the right access or permissions in a system. Authentication is a prerequisite to authorization.

Tokens Offer Robust Security

Since tokens like JWT are stateless, only a secret key can validate it when received at a server-side application, which was used to create it. Hence they're considered the best and the most secure way of offering authentication.

The main distinction between these two is: API keys identify the calling project — the application or site — making the call to an API. Authentication tokens identify a user — the person — that is using the app or site.

What is the difference between a token and an authenticator? ›

Tokens are created with the phone number and email address you used to register with them. Authenticator Tokens - You will see them in the Authy app as Authenticator Accounts. These are manually added by the user scanning a QR code or inserting an alphanumeric key.

Token based authentication works by ensuring that each request to a server is accompanied by a signed token which the server verifies for authenticity and only then responds to the request.

If your application handles sensitive data or requires rapid revocation, session-based authentication may be the better choice. If your application needs fast, efficient authorization or requires more interaction between the client and server, token-based authentication may be more suitable.

The server then creates a session token, stores that token along with user's info in some database (the session ID should be opaque string). Server then sends the cookie with the sessionID to the browser. Browser then incudes the cookie within every subsequent request to the server so that it can identify the user.

One-time password (OTP) tokens are secure hardware devices or software programs that can generate one-time passwords. Most commonly, these are personal identification numbers (PIN), numeric codes between 4-12 digits. Smartphones are commonly used to generate or receive one-time passwords.

Common attacks on token-based authentication include stealing authentication tokens using malware and cross-site scripting attacks.

Session tokens are another way to store information about the user's session. Unlike cookies, session tokens are not stored on the user's device, but on the server or a third-party service. The server generates a unique and random token for each user and sends it to the browser as part of the response.

For OAuth 2.0, the access token is a session ID and can be used directly. Only used in OAuth 2.0 with the web server flow, the authorization code is a token that represents the access granted by the end user. The authorization code is used to obtain an access token and a refresh token. It expires after 15 minutes.

Refresh tokens work with access tokens to facilitate long-lived sessions without repeated logins. Refresh tokens are not useful independently from access tokens – they are used exclusively in relation to them.

CSRF tokens should be generated on the server-side and they should be generated only once per user session or each request. Because the time range for an attacker to exploit the stolen tokens is minimal for per-request tokens, they are more secure than per-session tokens.