CODEWITHSUNDEEP
oauth-2.0openid-connect
Rob L
Rob L

Reputation: 3304

In OAuth 2.0, what is the difference between a grant and a flow?

I have been reading through the OAuth 2.0 spec and I can't figure out the difference between a grant and a flow. The documentation seems to use the terms interchangeably. Grants are defined here.

For example, consider the following snippet taken directly from the spec:

The implicit grant is a simplified authorization code flow optimized for clients...

Why didn't they say

implicit flow is a simplified authorization code flow optimized for clients...

? Can someone please explain what the difference is between a grant and a flow?

Upvotes: 11

Views: 1299

Answers (1)

Spomky-Labs
Spomky-Labs

Reputation: 16775

The flow is more generic and refers to the whole protocol that allows the access token issuance.

The authorization grant refers only to the credentials used during the flow (authorization code, client credentials...).

Upvotes: 9

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