A method for applications to authenticate themselves to an identity provider using a unique client ID and secret.
Description
In the Single Sign-On (SSO) protocol industry, 'Client Credentials' refers to a specific OAuth 2.0 grant type that allows applications to authenticate and obtain access tokens without user interaction. This is particularly useful for machine-to-machine communication, where a back-end service needs to access resources securely. The client application uses a 'client ID' and a 'client secret' to prove its identity to the authorization server. Once authenticated, the application can request an access token that provides permission to access the desired resources. This mechanism is essential for ensuring that only authorized applications can interact with APIs and other resources, thereby enhancing security and maintaining user privacy. Client Credentials are typically used in scenarios like accessing APIs for data analytics or sending automated requests to third-party services, where user context is not necessary for the interaction.
Examples
- A mobile app that fetches user data from a cloud service using its client credentials to authenticate.
- An automated script that retrieves data from a public API by providing its client ID and secret.
Additional Information
- Client credentials are primarily used in server-to-server communications, where user intervention is not possible.
- It is crucial to keep client secrets confidential to prevent unauthorized access to resources.