Authentication and Authorization

Long before the digital age, the concepts of authentication and authorization were already in play. The ancient Romans, as described by the Greek historian Polybius, used watchwords to control access to guarded areas. In modern realms, when automated systems are constantly executing thousands of operations on our behalf, proper access control is not just a necessity; it’s the backbone of secure and efficient operations.

When diving into authentication and authorization, you’ll come across a mix of terms that can be confusing since they’re often used in similar contexts but have different meanings. To keep things clear, let’s go over some of the key terms we’ll be using in this chapter:

• Authentication: The process of verifying your identity. A basic example would be entering and checking your username and password. However, it can also involve more advanced methods such as fingerprint scanning, face recognition...