Back to All Questions
Question 26 of 100
Intermediate API Testing
Intermediate
Q26: What are the Key Types of API Authentication?
🔑Core Concept
What are the Key Types of API Authentication?
Key Takeaways & Architecture Summary
- âś“Basic Auth: Base64-encoded username:password injected into headers.
- âś“API Keys: Static tokens passed via query strings or custom headers.
- âś“Bearer Tokens (JWT): Signed JSON payloads verified by the server.
- âś“OAuth 2.0: Delegation framework utilizing dynamic tokens and scopes.
Direct Answer Summary
API Authentication verifies the identity of the calling client. The main types include Basic Auth (sending credentials encoded in Base64), API Keys (unique keys validated by API gateways), Bearer Tokens/JWT (signed tokens detailing client scopes), and OAuth 2.0 (delegated authorization flows generating dynamic access and refresh tokens).
⚠️ Senior Engineering Warning (Red Flag)
Never think Base64 encoding in Basic Authentication is secure. Base64 is an encoding format, not an encryption method. Anyone capturing the request can decode the credentials in seconds if not using HTTPS.
đź’ˇ STAR Architectural Explanation & Pro Tip
Authentication is step one. Once client identity is verified, the server executes step two: authorization, validating that the authenticated client possesses permissions for the resource.
RestAssuredTest.java
Rest-Assured + Java// Rest-Assured Basic Authentication call (Sends Base64 in Header)
RestAssured.given()
.auth().preemptive().basic("admin", "secret-password")
.when()
.get("/api/v1/secure-dashboard");