What Is A Bearer Token?

Table of contents

• Definition
• Use Cases and Examples
• Summary

Definition

A bearer token is an Access Token passed to a server using the HTTP Authorization [→] header.

Use Cases and Examples

This cryptographic string can be generated based on a special algorithm or generated randomly. It's used primarily for authorization [→], for example, in other to gain access to an API.

Here is what a sample request containing a bearer token request header looks like:

✅ Wrap📋
01: curl -X 'POST' \
02:   'https://acme-analytics.xyz/api/v1/submit-consent/demo-12345' \
03:   -H 'accept: application/json' \
04:   -H 'ACME-API-KEY: demo-abcd' \
05:   -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
06:   -H 'Authorization: Bearer <token>` \
07:   -d '{
08:   "collectIP": true,
09:   "collectBrowserInfo": true
10: }'

In the above example code, we have the Authorization: Bearer as part of the POST request header. In this case, the user will typically replace with their actual token. This token will be provided to them directly or instructions on how to generate one will be provided.

Summary

See this article on the difference between JWT and bearer tokens [→]

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