As Internet technologies, applications, and digital services have evolved, user authentication and authorization have been ongoing challenges. How does an organization ensure user and application security when databases, platforms, user experiences, and security threats shift rapidly? OAuth is one modern solution to this challenge.
What Does OAuth Have to Do With APIs
In simple terms OAuth (which stands for Open Authorization) is an open web-based standard for user authorization. It allows an application to request access to third party systems on behalf of its users in order to improve application security.
As APIs and API management have become critical to managing applications for all organizations, security threats to APIs have likewise risen. In fact, APIs are the leading security threat vector in 2022. Due to the fact that APIs are tied to so many business-critical applications, managing APIs and application security using API security best practices has likewise become paramount to success of digital transformation efforts.
OAuth enables API management platforms to utilize modern user authorization tools to ensure the security of APIs and the applications tied to APIs.
Back to topOAuth & APIs: The Benefits of OAuth
OAuth and OAuth 2.0 offers a set of frameworks for securing applications through APIs. This involves defining an appropriate OAuth flow involving:
- A client (application)
- Resource server
- Authorization server
OAuth enables a client (application) to deliver an API query to a resource server in order to authenticate that the message was truly sent by the client (application). The resource server will authenticate the API query by using an access token which has been provided to the client (application) via an authorization server.
This model utilizes RESTful API messaging protocols to provide a set of authentication and authorization mechanisms for ensuring data transmission is secure and user access is delegated to third-party servers. This is particularly helpful in the following scenarios:
- Open banking
- FAPI (financial-grade APIs)
- Dealing with sensitive customer information
- Managing application data securely and privately
OAuth and Akana Unlocked
Akana recently changed our customer package and pricing structures, enabling broader access to our suite for current customers. This means all modules are available and free to customers. We have found that in order to gain improved digital transformation results, customers should embrace to REST, GraphQL, OAuth, or other advanced Akana API lifecycle management features.
With the Akana Unlocked upgrade, you will have access to advanced OAuth features, thereby improving the security of your APIs and applications managed with the Akana platform. Furthermore, OAuth is incredibly easy to implement and scale for customers already utilizing Akana due to the fact that we have implemented streamlined integrations for this functionality on the backend. With Akana Unlocked, customers have access to the following:
- OAuth support for secure and fast implementation of improved security practices
- OAuth service allowing for seamless client registration with the Authorization Server as well as client authentication
- Advanced OAuth features such as JWT-based client authentication, use of mTLS, JWT access tokens, and PKCE
- Lifecycle coordinator for access to full lifecycle API management
- API portal for managing all your APIs in a consolidated and easy-to-use framework
Unlock OAuth and Improve Security With Akana
Working with Akana means you have access to a full lifecycle API management platform and an API security tools, such as OAuth, that can accelerate your time-to-market in a secure fashion and help improve digital transformation outcomes.
With the Akana API management and Akana Unlocked, clients can:
- Rapidly and easily create, publish, and manage APIs across the entire lifecycle.
- Access best-in-class API security and authorization features using our proven API Gateway and Developer Portal, and OAuth features.
- Publish RESTful, SOAP, GraphQL APIs in a single developer portal quickly and easily.
- Access comprehensive API testing and monitoring features.