Untangling OAuth, OAuth2, and OpenID Connect

Introduction

Authentication and authorization power almost everything we do online — but these words are thrown around so much, they’re often misunderstood. Add in terms like OAuth2, OpenID Connect, tokens, flows, and even FAPI, and suddenly you’re in acronym soup.

This post is here to untangle the mess.

We’ll walk through the big ideas behind OAuth and OpenID Connect, introduce the core roles and flows, and build a set of intuitive examples you can base your mental model on. By the end, you’ll know:

• The difference between authentication and authorization
• What OAuth2 actually does (and what it doesn’t)
• The roles: Resource Owner, Client, Authorization Server, Resource Server
• The different flows — and when to use each
• How OpenID Connect builds login flows on top of OAuth2

We won’t cover OAuth in this article. OAuth as a concept has been around since 2007. The original version — OAuth 1.0a — solved the problem of granting third-party access to user data without passwords, but it required complex cryptographic signing and didn’t assume HTTPS. OAuth2 replaced it with a cleaner, TLS-based approach that’s now the foundation for everything from “Login with Google” to Open Banking APIs.

Authorization vs Authentication

Let’s get the definitions straight first:

• Authentication = Who are you?
• Authorization = What are you allowed to do?

Think of a hotel:

• Showing your ID at the front desk = authentication
• Being given a keycard for your room = authorization

OAuth2 was designed for authorization, not login. But because it passes identity-ish tokens around, people started using it for login flows — which is what OpenID Connect was built to formalize.

OAuth2 Roles

OAuth2 involves four key actors:

Example:

• You’re the Resource Owner - you own your GitHub profile
• GitHub is the Authorization Server
• A third-party app (like VSCode) is the Client
• GitHub’s API is the Resource Server

These roles are who will be playing different parts when we go to explain the OAuth2 flows in the next section.

OAuth2 Flows

OAuth2 defines several flows, depending on the type of client and security model.

Authorization Code Flow

Used when

• Your client is a web app executing on the server-side
• Your client is a mobile apps and this can be used with PKCE

Steps:

1. Client sends user to Authorization Server’s authorize endpoint (typically a browser redirect)
2. User logs in, approves scopes
3. Server redirects back to client with a code
4. Client sends the code (plus credentials) to token endpoint
5. Client receives access token, optionally refresh token

Why it’s good:

• Keeps tokens off the front-end, as the access token is passed directly to the server hosting the client

• Supports refresh tokens

• Use with PKCE for mobile/SPAs

Client Credentials Flow

Used when:

• The client is the resource owner
• Machine-to-machine access (no user)
• Server-side automation, microservices, etc.

Steps:

1. Client authenticates to the token endpoint directly
2. Sends its client ID and secret
3. Gets an access token
4. Client now accesses protected resource

Use this in situations where there is no user involved.

Resource Owner Password Credentials (ROPC) Flow

Used when:

• The client is completely trusted with user credential
• Really only for legacy apps

Should you use it? No. Never. It’s deprecated.

Steps:

1. User gives username and password directly to client
2. Client sends them to token endpoint
3. Gets access token

Why it’s bad:

• Client sees the user’s password.

Device Authorization Flow

Used when:

• The client is a Smart TV or console
• The client is CLI tools

Steps:

1. Client requests a device + user code from token endpoint
2. Device shows the user code and asks user to visit a URL
3. User logs in on their phone/laptop
4. Client polls the token endpoint until authorized
5. Gets access token

No browser on the device needed!

Common on Xbox, Apple TV, etc.

PKCE – Proof Key for Code Exchange

Originally designed for mobile apps, PKCE (pronounced “pixy”) adds extra safety to the Authorization Code Flow.

Why it matters:

• Public clients can’t hold secrets
• PKCE protects the code exchange from being hijacked

How it works:

1. Client generates a random code_verifier
2. Derives a code_challenge = SHA256(code_verifier)
3. Sends the code_challenge with the initial authorize request
4. Exchanges the code using the original code_verifier

Required in: All public clients, including SPAs and mobile apps

Hybrid Flow (OIDC-specific)

Used when:

• Apps that want both id_token and code at once

Combines:

• Immediate authentication (id_token)
• Deferred authorization (code → access_token)

An example of this is when a login page that needs to show the user’s name immediately, but still needs a backend exchange for secure API calls

OpenID Connect

OAuth2 doesn’t handle identity. That’s where OpenID Connect (OIDC) steps in. It’s a layer on top of OAuth2 that turns it into a proper login protocol.

OIDC adds:

• id_token: A JWT that proves who the user is
• userinfo endpoint: For extra user profile data
• openid scope: Triggers identity behavior
• /.well-known/openid-configuration: A discovery doc

How it works (OpenID Connect Flow):

1. Client redirects to authorization server with response_type=code&scope=openid
2. User logs in and approves
3. Server returns code
4. Client exchanges code for:
   • access_token
   • id_token
5. Client validates id_token (aud, iss, exp, sig)

You now know who the user is and can access their resources.

Pitfalls and Best Practices

Do

• Always use PKCE (mandatory for public clients)
• Use short-lived access tokens and refresh tokens
• Validate all tokens — especially id_token
• Never store tokens in localStorage

Don’t

• Don’t use implicit flow anymore
• Don’t mix up access_token and id_token

Conclusion

OAuth2 and OpenID Connect underpin almost every secure app on the internet — but they aren’t simple. They describe a flexible framework, not a single implementation, and that’s why they feel confusing.

If you want more information, here are some helpful links.

• OAuth2.1 (Draft) – Cleaner, modernized spec
• openid.net/specs – OpenID Connect specs
• jwt.io – Inspect JWTs
• oauthdebugger.com – Play with flows
• Auth0 playground – Try PKCE interactively