Building API Authentication

Overview

Build secure API authentication systems supporting JWT Bearer tokens, OAuth 2.0 authorization code and client credentials flows, API key management, and session-based authentication. Implement token issuance, validation, refresh rotation, revocation, and role-based access control (RBAC) with scoped permissions across all API endpoints.

Prerequisites

• Cryptographic library: jsonwebtoken (Node.js), PyJWT (Python), or jjwt (Java)
• Secure secret storage: environment variables, AWS Secrets Manager, or HashiCorp Vault for JWT signing keys
• Database table for user credentials, refresh tokens, and API key storage
• Bcrypt or Argon2 for password hashing (never store plaintext passwords)
• OAuth 2.0 provider credentials for third-party auth integration (Google, GitHub, Auth0)

Instructions