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padtrack edited this page Sep 17, 2022 · 3 revisions

Why not use OAuth 2.0 (e.g. Bismarck)?

In short, because running a web server for OAuth 2.0 is overkill. In the past, this bot did use this type of authentication. Here's a list of reasons why it now uses Access Codes:

  • Access Codes last as long as the user wants. In comparison, OAuth2 tokens last up to two weeks. It is infeasible to ask users to authenticate this often.
  • Access Codes don't require a web server/site to run, making the project significantly easier to self-host.
  • Access Codes don't require an authorization URL to be sent to the user.

Of course, Access Codes are not without downsides:

  • The linking process with Access Codes is less user friendly. However, as previously mentioned, this process only needs to be done once in contrast to every two weeks.
  • Access Codes are not a means of identity verification. In theory, a bandit could trick an unsuspecting user into giving them their Access Code, and link with the bot using it. However, the bot does not require such a level of verification, making this a non-concern.
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