Authentication vs. Authorization: Understanding AuthN and AuthZ

Authentication (AuthN) and authorization (AuthZ) are distinct security processes that are often confused, leading to potential bugs. Authentication verifies a user's identity, typically through credentials like passwords or biometrics, and establishes trust for subsequent requests via tokens. Authorization, on the other hand, determines what actions an authenticated user is permitted to perform, based on roles, scopes, or policies. The HTTP status codes 401 Unauthorized and 403 Forbidden directly map to these concepts, with 401 indicating an authentication failure and 403 signifying an authorization failure. AI

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• 401
• 403
• authentication
• JSON Web Token
• multi-factor authentication
• OAuth
• role-based access control
• Telegram

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