Glossary

JWT

JSON Web Token (JWT) is a compact, URL-safe means of representing claims to be transferred between two parties. JWTs are commonly used to authenticate users and to secure communication.

A JWT consists of three parts: a header, a payload, and a signature. The header and payload are both JSON objects that contain information about the JWT, and the signature is used to verify that the JWT has not been tampered with.

The header typically includes information about the type of the JWT (e.g., "JWT") and the algorithm that was used to sign the JWT (e.g., "HS256" for HMAC SHA-256). The payload typically includes information about the claims being transferred, such as the user's identity, the expiration time of the JWT, and any additional data that the sender wants to include.

To create a JWT, the sender first creates the header and payload as JSON objects and then signs the JWT using a secret key and the specified algorithm. The resulting JWT is a base64-encoded string that consists of the header, payload, and signature, separated by dots.

To verify a JWT, the recipient decodes the JWT and verifies the signature using the same secret key and algorithm. If the signature is valid, the JWT is considered to be authentic and the claims contained in the payload can be trusted.

JWTs are widely used in a variety of applications, including authentication, authorization, and secure communication. They are easy to use and can be easily integrated with a variety of systems and platforms.