What is JWT (JSON Web Token)

what is JWT (JSON Web Token) is a compact and self-contained way of transmitting information between parties as a JSON object. JWTs are often used to authenticate users and transmit information about them between systems, and are commonly used in single sign-on (SSO) scenarios.

JWTs consist of three parts: a header, a payload, and a signature. The header specifies the algorithm used to generate the signature, and the payload contains the information being transmitted. The signature is used to verify that the sender of the JWT is who it claims to be and to ensure that the message wasn’t changed along the way.

example of a JWT:

eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzdWIiOiIxMjM0NTY3ODkwIiwibmFtZSI6IkpvaG4gRG9lIiwiaWF0IjoxNTE2MjM5MDIyfQ.SflKxwRJSMeKKF2QT4fwpMeJf36POk6yJV_adQssw5c

JWT (JSON Web Token) is a compact and self-contained way of transmitting information between parties as a JSON object. JWTs are often used to authenticate users and transmit information about them between systems and are commonly used in single sign-on (SSO) scenarios.

JWTs consist of three parts: a header, a payload, and a signature. The header specifies the algorithm used to generate the signature, and the payload contains the information being transmitted. The signature is used to verify that the sender of the JWT is who it claims to be and to ensure that the message wasn’t changed along the way.

Here is an example of a JWT:





The JWT above consists of three base64-encoded strings separated by dots. The first string is the header, the second string is the payload, and the third string is the signature.

JWTs consists of three parts: a header, a payload, and a signature. The header specifies the algorithm used by which the signature is generated, and the payload contains the information being transmitted. The signature is used to verify that the sender of the JWT is who it claims to be and to ensure that the message was not changed during transmission.

JWTs are commonly used in modern web applications to authenticate users and transmit information about them between systems. They can be used with a variety of different authentication schemes, such as OAuth, and are often used in single sign-on (SSO) scenarios. The use of JWTs allows for the secure transmission of information between parties without the need for a session or cookies.


In order to use JWTs, a server must first generate a JWT and sign it with a secret key. The JWT is then sent to the client, typically through an HTTP header or as a cookie. The client can then use the JWT to authenticate requests to the server.

When the server receives a request from the client with a JWT, it verifies the signature to ensure that the JWT was not tampered with during transmission. If the signature is valid, the server can use the information in the JWT to authenticate the user and authorize their access to certain resources or functionality.

One of the advantages of using JWTs is that they can be easily transmitted between systems, making them useful for single sign-on (SSO) scenarios. When a user logs in to one system, a JWT can be generated and sent to the user’s browser. The user can then use the JWT to authenticate themselves on other systems without having to log in again.

Overall, JWTs are a useful tool for transmitting information and authenticating users in modern web applications. They offer a secure and convenient way to transmit information between parties and are widely used in a variety of different contexts.

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