Architecting an Auth System for Applications

Brian Pontarelli • CTO
Author
Brian Pontarelli • CTO

Applications today use many login and authentication methods and workflows.

Here, I’ll share the most relevant and proven authentication workflows, which you can use as a basis for architecting and designing an authentication system for traditional web applications, single-page applications and native mobile applications.

Authentication Workflows for Traditional Web Applications

Traditional web applications load a web page and provide user functionality using a message-based model where a browser makes an HTTP request to a web server based on the URL in the address bar. The server responds to this request with HTML, CSS and JavaScript and then displays a resource in the browser. Along with traditional web apps, new web apps often still provide functionality in this manner.

When a user submits a form or clicks a link or button, the browser sends a new HTTP request to the web server and changes the URL in the address bar. The server again responds by returning HTML, CSS and JavaScript and then displaying a resource in the browser.

Browsers support only two HTTP methods for traditional web apps: GET and POST. GET is...

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