Understanding Auth Terminology with Examples Part Two

Passwordless authentication uses one-time “magic links,” typically delivered by email or phone, to provide a faster alternative to passwords and reduce exposure to weak or reused credentials. Role-based access control (RBAC) assigns permissions according to roles such as owner, administrator, or member, enabling organizations to limit access based on responsibilities. Multi-factor authentication (MFA), including two-factor authentication (2FA), requires users to provide multiple forms of identity verification, such as a password plus a code, device, or biometric factor. Identity providers (IdPs) manage user identities and enable single sign-on to service providers (SPs), with protocols such as SAML allowing applications to authenticate users through an IdP. Brute-force protection limits repeated login attempts and may also defend against dictionary attacks using common passwords. In multi-tenant software, separate customer groups share infrastructure while authentication and authorization prevent access across tenant boundaries. JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) are tamper-verifiable login tokens that can carry metadata and be validated without a database lookup, potentially reducing database load at scale.

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