Select Auth Method

Guides Authentication Select Auth Method

Select Auth Method

The type of authorization your application can use depends on the type of Box Application that you've configured in the developer console.

Learn how to select the application type for your app

The following authorization methods are available to each Box application type.

Box Application Type	Supports OAuth 2.0?	JWT?	Client Credentials?	App Token?
Custom App	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Limited Access App	No	No	No	Yes
Custom Skill	No	No	No	No

OAuth 2.0 requires the application to redirect end-users to their browser to login to Box and authorize the application to take actions on their behalf.

When to use OAuth 2.0?

Client-side authentication is the ideal authentication method for apps that:

work with users who have existing Box accounts
use Box for identity management, so users know they are using Box
store data within each user account vs. within an application's Service Account

Learn about client-side authentication with OAuth 2.0

Server-side authentication using JSON Web Tokens (JWT) does not require end-user interaction and, if granted the proper privileges, can be used to act on behalf of any user in an enterprise. Identity is validated using a JWT assertion and public/private keypair.

When to use JWT?

Server-side authentication with JWT is the ideal authentication method for apps that:

work with users without Box accounts
use their own identity system
do not want users to know they are using Box
store data within the application's Service Account and not a user's account

Learn about server-side authentication with JWT

Server-side authentication using Client Credentials Grant does not require end-user interaction and, if granted the proper privileges, can be used to act on behalf of any user in an enterprise. Identity is validated using the application's client ID and client secret.

When to use a Client Credentials Grant?

Server-side authentication with Client Credentials Grant is the ideal authentication method for apps that:

work with users without Box accounts
use their own identity management system
do not want users to know they are using Box
store data within the application's Service Account and not a user's account

Learn about server-side authentication with Client Credentials Grant

A server-side App Token is an authentication method where the application only has access to read and write data to its own account. This is mainly used by Box View applications. By using this authentication method there is no need to authorize a user as the application is automatically authenticated as the application's Service Account.

When to use App Tokens?

Server-side authentication with App Tokens is the ideal authentication method for apps that:

work in an environment that either has no user model, or has users without Box accounts
use their own identity management system
do not want users to know they are using Box
store data within the application's Service Account and not a user's account

Learn about server-side authentication with App Tokens

The following is a quick overview of the key difference between client-side and server-side authentication.

	OAuth 2.0	JWT	Client Credentials	App Tokens
Requires user involvement?	Yes	No	No	No
Requires admin approval?	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Can act on behalf of other users?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Do users see Box?	Yes	No	No	No
Can create App Users?	No	Yes	Yes	No

An Access Token is tied to a specific Box user and the way the token has been obtained determines who that user is.

For example, when using client-side authentication the token represents the user who granted access to their account, while while when using server-side authentication the token defaults to the application's Service Account.

Select Auth Method

Select Auth Method

Client-side

OAuth 2.0

When to use OAuth 2.0?

Server-side

JWT

When to use JWT?

Client Credentials Grant

When to use a Client Credentials Grant?

App Token

When to use App Tokens?

Comparison