What is OAuth 2.0?
OAuth 2.0 is an open standard for authorisation that lets an application access a user's data on another service without ever handling their password. The user grants limited, revocable permission, and the application receives a token that proves it may act on their behalf.
How does OAuth 2.0 work?
OAuth 2.0 is an open standard that solves a specific problem: how can one application be allowed to access some of a user's data on another service, without the user handing over their password? The familiar example is logging in or connecting to an app using your Google or Apple account. Instead of giving the app your password, you are redirected to the trusted service, you approve a limited set of permissions, and the app receives an access token that lets it act on your behalf within those limits.
That token is the heart of OAuth. It represents a scoped, time-limited grant of permission. The application can use it to make requests, but it never sees the user's credentials, and the user can revoke the grant at any time without changing their password.
Authorisation versus authentication
A common confusion is worth clearing up. OAuth 2.0 is fundamentally an authorisation protocol - it governs what an application is allowed to do - rather than an authentication protocol that proves who a user is. Sign-in features built on top of OAuth typically use an additional layer, such as OpenID Connect, to establish identity. Understanding this distinction prevents a class of security mistakes where OAuth is used to log people in without the identity layer it was not designed to provide.
Key roles and tokens in OAuth
An OAuth flow involves a few defined parts:
- Resource owner - the user who owns the data.
- Client - the application requesting access.
- Authorisation server - the service that authenticates the user and issues tokens.
- Access token - the scoped, short-lived credential the client uses.
- Refresh token - a longer-lived credential used to obtain new access tokens.
Why OAuth matters
OAuth has become the backbone of secure integration on the modern web. It lets users connect services and use social sign-in without scattering their passwords across every app, which is both more convenient and far safer. For product teams, it provides a well-understood, widely supported way to integrate with major platforms and to delegate access cleanly, with the ability to scope and revoke permissions rather than granting all-or-nothing access.
How PixelForce approaches OAuth
At PixelForce, OAuth is implemented during Phase 2 - Development, QA and Release, as part of building secure, well-architected products. Our in-house team uses it for social sign-in and for integrating third-party services so that users never share passwords with the app, and so permissions stay scoped and revocable. We treat the authorisation-versus-authentication distinction seriously, adding a proper identity layer where sign-in is involved. This work sits within the broader engineering rigour we bring to app development, where security is designed in rather than bolted on at the end.
Where this applies
The PixelForce services where OAuth 2.0 matters most - explore how we put it to work in client products.
Frequently asked questions
OAuth 2.0 is fundamentally an authorisation protocol - it controls what an application is allowed to do with a user's data. It is not, by itself, designed to prove who a user is. Login features built on OAuth add an identity layer such as OpenID Connect on top. Using raw OAuth for authentication without that layer is a common and avoidable security mistake.
An access token is a short-lived credential that an application uses to make requests on the user's behalf, scoped to specific permissions. A refresh token is a longer-lived credential used to obtain new access tokens once they expire, without forcing the user to log in again. Keeping access tokens short-lived limits the damage if one is leaked, while refresh tokens preserve a smooth experience.
With OAuth, the user never gives their password to the third-party app. Instead they approve a limited, time-bound permission at the trusted service, which issues a token. The app can only do what the token allows, the access can be revoked at any time without changing the password, and a leaked token causes far less damage than a leaked password that unlocks the entire account.
OAuth 2.0 handles authorisation - granting an application scoped access to a user's data. OpenID Connect is a thin identity layer built on top of OAuth that handles authentication, proving who the user is. When you see sign-in with Google or Apple, OpenID Connect establishes identity while OAuth governs what the app may access. They are complementary, and secure sign-in typically uses both together.
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