FusionAuth developer image
FusionAuth developer logo
  • Back to site
  • Expert Advice
  • Blog
  • Developers
  • Downloads
  • Account
  • Contact sales
Navigate to...
  • Welcome
  • Getting Started
    • Getting Started
    • 5-minute Setup Guide
      • Overview
      • Docker
      • Fast Path
      • Sandbox
    • Setup Wizard & First Login
    • Register a User and Login
    • Self-service Registration
    • Start and Stop FusionAuth
    • Core Concepts
      • Overview
      • Users
      • Roles
      • Groups
      • Registrations
      • Applications
      • Tenants
      • Identity Providers
      • Authentication/Authorization
      • Integration Points
    • Example Apps
      • Overview
      • Dart
      • Go
      • Java
      • JavaScript
      • .NET Core
      • PHP
      • Python
      • Ruby
    • Tutorials
  • Installation Guide
    • Overview
    • System Requirements
    • Server Layout
    • Cloud
    • Cluster
    • Docker
    • Fast Path
    • Kubernetes
      • Overview
      • Deployment Guide
      • Minikube Setup
      • Amazon EKS Setup
      • Google GKE Setup
      • Microsoft AKS Setup
    • Kickstart™
    • Homebrew
    • Marketplaces
    • Packages
    • Database
    • FusionAuth App
    • FusionAuth Search
    • Common Configuration
  • Migration Guide
    • Overview
    • General
    • Auth0
    • Keycloak
    • Amazon Cognito
    • Firebase
    • Microsoft Azure AD B2C
    • Tutorial
  • Admin Guide
    • Overview
    • Account Portal
    • Config Management
    • Editions and Features
    • Key Rotation
    • Licensing
    • Monitoring
    • Prometheus Setup
    • Proxy Setup
    • Reference
      • Overview
      • Configuration
      • CORS
      • Data Types
      • Hosted Login Pages Cookies
      • Known Limitations
      • Password Hashes
    • Releases
    • Roadmap
    • Search And FusionAuth
    • Securing
    • Switch Search Engines
    • Technical Support
    • Troubleshooting
    • Upgrading
    • WebAuthn
  • Login Methods
    • Identity Providers
      • Overview
      • Apple
      • Epic Games
      • External JWT
        • Overview
        • Example
      • Facebook
      • Google
      • HYPR
      • LinkedIn
      • Nintendo
      • OpenID Connect
        • Overview
        • Amazon Cognito
        • Azure AD
        • Discord
        • Github
      • Sony PlayStation Network
      • Steam
      • Twitch
      • Twitter
      • SAML v2
        • Overview
        • ADFS
        • Azure AD
      • SAML v2 IdP Initiated
        • Overview
        • Okta
      • Xbox
    • OIDC & OAuth 2.0
      • Overview
      • Endpoints
      • Tokens
      • OAuth Modes
    • Passwordless
      • Overview
      • Magic Links
      • WebAuthn & Passkeys
    • SAML v2 IdP
      • Overview
      • Google
      • Zendesk
  • Developer Guide
    • Overview
    • API Gateways
      • Overview
      • ngrok Cloud Edge
    • Client Libraries & SDKs
      • Overview
      • Dart
      • Go
      • Java
      • JavaScript
      • .NET Core
      • Node
      • OpenAPI
      • PHP
      • Python
      • React
      • Ruby
      • Typescript
    • Events & Webhooks
      • Overview
      • Writing a Webhook
      • Securing Webhooks
      • Events
        • Overview
        • Audit Log Create
        • Event Log Create
        • JWT Public Key Update
        • JWT Refresh
        • JWT Refresh Token Revoke
        • Kickstart Success
        • Group Create
        • Group Create Complete
        • Group Delete
        • Group Delete Complete
        • Group Update
        • Group Update Complete
        • Group Member Add
        • Group Member Add Complete
        • Group Member Remove
        • Group Member Remove Complete
        • Group Member Update
        • Group Member Update Complete
        • User Action
        • User Bulk Create
        • User Create
        • User Create Complete
        • User Deactivate
        • User Delete
        • User Delete Complete
        • User Email Update
        • User Email Verified
        • User IdP Link
        • User IdP Unlink
        • User Login Failed
        • User Login Id Dup. Create
        • User Login Id Dup. Update
        • User Login New Device
        • User Login Success
        • User Login Suspicious
        • User Password Breach
        • User Password Reset Send
        • User Password Reset Start
        • User Password Reset Success
        • User Password Update
        • User Reactivate
        • User Reg. Create
        • User Reg. Create Complete
        • User Reg. Delete
        • User Reg. Delete Complete
        • User Registration Update
        • User Reg. Update Complete
        • User Reg. Verified
        • User 2FA Method Add
        • User 2FA Method Remove
        • User Update
        • User Update Complete
    • Guides
      • Overview
      • Authentication Tokens
      • Exposing A Local Instance
      • JSON Web Tokens
      • Key Master
      • Localization and Internationalization
      • Multi-Factor Authentication
      • Multi-Tenant
      • Passwordless
      • Registration-based Email Verification
      • Searching With Elasticsearch
      • Securing Your APIs
      • Silent Mode
      • Single Sign-on
      • Two Factor (pre 1.26)
    • Integrations
      • Overview
      • CleanSpeak
      • Kafka
      • Twilio
    • Plugins
      • Overview
      • Writing a Plugin
      • Custom Password Hashing
    • User Control & Gating
      • Overview
      • Gate Unverified Users
      • Gate Unverified Registrations
      • User Account Lockout
  • Customization
    • Email & Templates
      • Overview
      • Configure Email
      • Email Templates
      • Email Variables
      • Message Templates
    • Lambdas
      • Overview
      • Apple Reconcile
      • Client Cred. JWT Populate
      • Epic Games Reconcile
      • External JWT Reconcile
      • Facebook Reconcile
      • Google Reconcile
      • HYPR Reconcile
      • JWT Populate
      • LDAP Connector Reconcile
      • LinkedIn Reconcile
      • Nintendo Reconcile
      • OpenID Connect Reconcile
      • SAML v2 Populate
      • SAML v2 Reconcile
      • SCIM Group Req. Converter
      • SCIM Group Resp. Convtr.
      • SCIM User Req. Converter
      • SCIM User Resp. Converter
      • Sony PSN Reconcile
      • Steam Reconcile
      • Twitch Reconcile
      • Twitter Reconcile
      • Xbox Reconcile
    • Messengers
      • Overview
      • Generic Messenger
      • Twilio Messenger
    • Themes
      • Overview
      • Examples
      • Helpers
      • Localization
      • Template Variables
  • Premium Features
    • Overview
    • Advanced Registration Forms
    • Advanced Threat Detection
    • Application Specific Themes
    • Breached Password Detection
    • Connectors
      • Overview
      • Generic Connector
      • LDAP Connector
      • FusionAuth Connector
    • Entity Management
    • SCIM
      • Overview
      • Azure AD Client
      • Okta Client
      • SCIM-SDK
    • Self Service Account Mgmt
      • Overview
      • Updating User Data & Password
      • Add Two-Factor Authenticator
      • Add Two-Factor Email
      • Add Two-Factor SMS
      • Add WebAuthn Passkey
      • Customizing
      • Troubleshooting
    • WebAuthn
  • APIs
    • Overview
    • Authentication
    • Errors
    • API Explorer
    • Actioning Users
    • API Keys
    • Applications
    • Audit Logs
    • Connectors
      • Overview
      • Generic
      • LDAP
    • Consents
    • Emails
    • Entity Management
      • Overview
      • Entities
      • Entity Types
      • Grants
    • Event Logs
    • Families
    • Forms
    • Form Fields
    • Groups
    • Identity Providers
      • Overview
      • Links
      • Apple
      • External JWT
      • Epic Games
      • Facebook
      • Google
      • HYPR
      • LinkedIn
      • Nintendo
      • OpenID Connect
      • SAML v2
      • SAML v2 IdP Initiated
      • Sony PlayStation Network
      • Steam
      • Twitch
      • Twitter
      • Xbox
    • Integrations
    • IP Access Control Lists
    • JWT
    • Keys
    • Lambdas
    • Login
    • Message Templates
    • Messengers
      • Overview
      • Generic
      • Twilio
    • Multi-Factor/Two Factor
    • Passwordless
    • Reactor
    • Registrations
    • Reports
    • SCIM
      • Overview
      • SCIM User
      • SCIM Group
      • SCIM EnterpriseUser
      • SCIM Service Provider Config.
    • System
    • Tenants
    • Themes
    • Users
    • User Actions
    • User Action Reasons
    • User Comments
    • WebAuthn
    • Webhooks
  • Release Notes

    Application Authentication Tokens

    Application Authentication Tokens

    In most cases, Users will authenticate using a login Id (email or username) plus a password. Passwords are hashed using a strong cryptographic hash such as BCrypt. The process of hashing is intentionally slow by design to limit the risk of brute force attacks. In some cases, you might need a way to speed up authentication without reducing the hashing strength for the normal login process.

    To solve this problem, FusionAuth supports the concept of Authentication Tokens. Authentication Tokens are an Application specific way of authenticating Users. For each Application, you can enable Authentication Tokens and then allow Users to authenticate using this authentication token.

    An Authentication Token is a sequence of characters and it can be used in place of your normal password. If you allow FusionAuth to generate the token for you which is highly recommended, the token is built using a secure random generator and the URL safe Base64 encoded to produce a string 43 characters in length.

    While 128 bites of entropy is generally considered to be sufficiently secure , the generated Authentication Token provides 256 bites of entropy. This value is calculated by multiplying the the number of characters by the entropy per character, and because a Base64 encoded character provides a entropy of 5.954 bits, a 43 character string will have 256 bits of entropy.

    Enabling Authentication Tokens

    To enable Authentication Tokens, open the FusionAuth web interface and navigate to Applications from the main menu. Edit the Application you want to use Authentication Tokens for and click the Security tab. You’ll see an option like this:

    Authentication Tokens

    Enable this option and save the change to your Application.

    Generating Authentication Tokens

    Once the Authentication Tokens are enabled for a specific Application, you can ask FusionAuth to generate one for a User by creating or updating a User Registration. To accomplish this, you will set the request parameter named generateAuthenticationToken to true in the request JSON like this:

    PUT /api/user/registration

    Example Request JSON
    
    {
      "generateAuthenticationToken": true,
      "registration": {
        "applicationId": "10000000-0000-0002-0000-000000000001",
        "data": {
          "displayName": "Johnny",
          "favoriteSports": [
            "Football",
            "Basketball"
          ]
        },
        "id": "00000000-0000-0002-0000-000000000000",
        "preferredLanguages": [
          "en",
          "fr"
        ],
        "roles": [
          "user",
          "community_helper"
        ],
        "timezone": "America/Chicago",
        "username": "johnny123"
      }
    }

    This request will result in a response that includes an Authentication Token like this:

    Example Response JSON
    
    {
      "registration": {
        "applicationId": "10000000-0000-0002-0000-000000000001",
        "authenticationToken": "zLnHXeHRwukZuye22DRChqhxWNnlmOOD0POSC4nvm74",
        "data": {
          "displayName": "Johnny",
          "favoriteSports": [
            "Football",
            "Basketball"
          ]
        },
        "id": "00000000-0000-0002-0000-000000000000",
        "insertInstant": 1446064706250,
        "lastLoginInstant": 1456064601291,
        "preferredLanguages": [
          "en",
          "fr"
        ],
        "roles": [
          "user",
          "community_helper"
        ],
        "timezone": "America/Chicago",
        "username": "johnny123",
        "usernameStatus": "ACTIVE"
      }
    }

    For more information, review the User Registration APIs.

    Authenticating Using a Token

    Once a User has been given an Application specific Authentication Token, you can supply it on the Login API as long as you include the Application Id in the request as well.

    Note that you must provide a valid API key unless you’ve also unchecked the Require an API key setting in the Login API Settings.

    Here is an example request to the Login API:

    Example Request JSON
    
    {
      "loginId": "example@fusionauth.io",
      "password": "52h3h9fsjOn2Eh0+NBT3Kf6NcWFHbJ7oPD0sFsHMQps=",
      "applicationId": "10000000-0000-0002-0000-000000000001",
      "ipAddress": "192.168.1.42"
    }

    Feedback

    How helpful was this page?

    See a problem?

    File an issue in our docs repo

    Have a question or comment to share?

    Visit the FusionAuth community forum.

    © 2023 FusionAuth
    Subscribe for developer updates