API Reference

πŸ” API Authentication Methods

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Unlocking your Smartphone Analogy

We are all familiar with the various ways of unlocking our smartphones, from using a simple 4-digit passcode, a clever pattern, to enhanced biometric requirements such as facial and fingerprint scans. We can easily relate to all of these methods. We can all agree that some of these are easier to guess than others. Like these various authentication methods, APIs have many different ways to authenticate. We will now take a look at some of the standard methods and see how some are less secure than others.οΏΌ

There are several methods of authentication for REST APIs; some of the most common include:

  1. Basic Authentication: This method sends an HTTP header with a username and password encoded in base64. This method is simple to implement but could be more secure as the credentials are sent in plain text.
  2. Token-Based Authentication: This method involves sending a token in an HTTP header with each request. The token is generated by the server and is verified on each request. This method is more secure than basic authentication because the credentials are not sent with each request. Tokens can be passed in headers, query parameters or in the request body.
  3. OAuth: This is an open standard for authorization that allows users to share their private resources (e.g., photos, videos, contact lists) stored on one site with another site without having to hand out their credentials, typically a username and password. OAuth is used by many large websites and is considered more secure than basic and token-based authentication.
  4. JSON Web Token (JWT): JSON Web Token (JWT) is a compact, URL-safe means of representing claims to be transferred between two parties. The claims in a JWT are encoded as a JSON object that is used as the payload of a JSON Web Signature (JWS) structure or as the plaintext of a JSON Web Encryption (JWE) structure
  5. API Key: This method involves sending a unique key with each request. The key is verified on the server and can be used to track usage and bill for usage.

It's important to note that the choice of authentication method will depend on the requirements of the API and the level of security needed.

So which method of authentication does the Govee Developer API leverage? Govee uses API keys, so let’s dive deeper.