Why use Client Credentials flow?

Question

I've been looking at using oauth2 client credentials grant to secure my API (all users will be trusted 3rd parties). I'm following the same approach as paypal here: https://developer.paypal.com/docs/integration/direct/paypal-oauth2/

However, I see that HTTP:// basic auth is used to acquire a bearer token. Then the bearer token is used to secure the API calls.

What I don't understand is, if you're going to trust TLS and http: basic auth to retrieve the bearer token - why not just use http: basic auth for the API calls? What is the benefit of using bearer tokens?

What am I missing?

Answer 1

Adding to what Ankit Saroch is saying, going the OAuth way with Tokens may open up other possibilities in the future; say you may want to extend the flow to include User information. By only validating tokens, this means you will probably not need to change the token validation (which is simple) in your service, but rather only the authentication and authorization steps.

But obviously you're right in what you are saying: The Client Credentials OAuth Flow is not more secure than simply using techniques like API Keys or Basic Authentication. All of those rely on the Client being confidential (it can keep its credentials to itself).

The OAuth Spec (https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6749#section-2.1) talks about these Client Types. In total, it's worth reading the spec actually.

Answer 2

As per The OAuth 2.0 Authorization Framework: Bearer Token Usage

The access token provides an abstraction, replacing different authorization constructs (e.g., username and password, assertion) for a single token understood by the resource server. This abstraction enables issuing access tokens valid for a short time period, as well as removing the resource server's need to understand a wide range of authentication schemes.

The server that is authorizing the request and giving you the Bearer Token, may be different from the server that actually controls the resources that you are trying to access.

As per the RFC, they have been shown as two different entities. The one giving you the Bearer Token is Authorization Server and the one serving the resources is Resource Server.