JWT apps to be deprecated in favor of Server-to-Server OAuth (2024)

FAQs

JWT apps to be deprecated in favor of Server-to-Server OAuth? ›

The Service Account (JWT) credentials have been deprecated in favor of the new OAuth Server-to-Server credentials. If a user is using Adobe Apps which are already installed, there is no need to migrate from the JWT credential to OAuth Server-to-server credential until 1st January 2025.

We've covered a lot of ground, haven't we? Let's recap: OAuth is great for authorization and delegating access, especially when dealing with third-party applications. JWT excels in stateless authentication and secure information exchange, perfect for modern web apps and microservices.

Although JWT and OAuth2 serve different purposes, they are compatible and can be used together. Because the OAuth2 protocol does not specify a token format, JWT can be incorporated into OAuth2 usage.

One of those credential types, Service Account (JWT) credentials, has been deprecated in favor of the OAuth Server-to-Server credentials. New Service Account (JWT) credentials cannot be created on or after June 3, 2024, and existing JWT credentials will not work on or after Jan 27, 2025.

Paseto, which stands for Platform-Agnostic Security Tokens, is a specification for secure stateless tokens. It provides a modern and better alternative to JWT, addressing some of its inherent vulnerabilities and emphasizing secure defaults and ease of implementation.

With JWT, the biggest problem is there are no reliable ways to log out users. The logout is fully controlled by the client, the server side can do nothing about it. It can just expect the client will forget about the token, that's it. This is dangerous from a security perspective.

Once a JWT is issued, there is no straightforward way to invalidate it before its expiration time. This can pose a problem if a user logs out or if their privileges need to be revoked due to a security concern. To address this weakness, developers must implement additional mechanisms for token revocation.

Basic Auth: Enables users to access APIs using username and password combinations encoded in the Authorization header. JWT Authentication: Allows secure access through JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) issued by your authorization server, containing user information and access claims.

These tokens are typically used for authentication and authorization, as they can contain information that verifies the identity of a user, and their permissions. In terms of authentication, the information stored in the JWT is used to help servers establish trust between an unknown client and themselves.

Any API that requires authentication can easily switch over to JWT's authorization. With JWT authorization, you get a user-based authentication. Once the user is authenticated, the user gets a secure token that they can use on all systems. The management of the user (and therefore the token) is centralized.

Is JWT outdated? ›

As of September 8, 2023, the JWT app type has been deprecated. Use Server-to-Server OAuth or OAuth apps to replace the functionality of all JWT apps in your account.

When using the Org Authorization Server, the lifetime of the JSON Web Tokens (JWT) is hard-coded to the following values: ID Token: 60 minutes. Access Token: 60 minutes. Refresh Token: 90 days.

JWT token is not encrypted, it's just base64UrlEncoded. So, don't put any sensitive information in payload. Meaning, if for some reason an access token is stolen, an attacker will be able to decode it and see information in payload.

JWT is mainly used for APIs while OAuth can be used for web, browser, API, and various apps or resources. JWT token vs oauth token: JWT defines a token format while OAuth deals in defining authorization protocols. JWT is simple and easy to learn from the initial stage while OAuth is complex.

Secure: Opaque tokens do not contain any user information, making them more secure than JWT tokens. Flexible: Opaque tokens can be customized to store additional user information in the authorization server, which can be retrieved by the resource server when needed.

Token-based authentication, on the other hand, especially JSON Web Tokens (JWT), has become the gold standard in API authentication. JWTs encapsulate user identity and claims in a compact, self-contained format, making them ideal for stateless RESTful environments.

It's like choosing a secure, encrypted message over a shout across a crowded room. OAuth offers that essential layer of security and control, wrapping user credentials in a layer of armor that Basic Authentication simply can't match.

REST API security is important to prevent unauthorized access to data. There are two main ways to secure REST APIs: API keys and OAuth tokens. API keys are good for read-only data, but not as good for authorization. OAuth tokens are better for authorization, but can be more complex to implement.