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For a secure sign-in integration, use OpenID Connect (OIDC) on top of OAuth 2.0, run the authorization code flow with transaction-specific PKCE using S256, match redirect URIs exactly, and validate every ID Token before trusting its claims. OAuth 2.0 is an authorization framework; OIDC adds the identity layer that lets a client verify an authentication event and receive identity claims.

OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect do different jobs

OAuth 2.0 governs delegated authorization: a client obtains an access token to request access to a resource. It does not, by itself, define an end-user authentication protocol. OIDC builds on OAuth 2.0 for authentication. A client requests OIDC by including the openid scope; the response includes an ID Token whose claims describe the authentication event and user to that client.

Keep the tokens’ purposes separate. An ID Token is for the client to validate as authentication evidence. An access token is for authorizing requests to a resource. Do not treat an access token as proof of a person’s identity unless the applicable provider or resource contract explicitly defines that use.

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Choose safeguards for the client architecture

The protocol controls apply across architectures, but where tokens are held and handled depends on the application. Browser clients have a distinct threat model; native apps have their own redirect handling and external-user-agent considerations. The IETF’s RFC 10017, OAuth 2.0 for Browser-Based Applications, published in August 2026, provides browser-specific guidance. Do not assume that a storage choice suitable for one architecture is automatically suitable for another.

Client type Security focus Deployment decision
Browser application Apply browser-specific threat and practice guidance in RFC 10017, alongside OAuth security controls. Decide whether tokens are held by a backend, in the browser runtime, or through another design; the standards cited here do not prescribe one vendor- or stack-specific storage choice.
Native application Use PKCE and account for native redirect behavior and the external user agent. Register the intended native redirect URI. The narrow localhost-port exception applies to native localhost redirects.
Confidential server-side client Use the authorization code flow and PKCE; RFC 9700 recommends PKCE for confidential clients as well as requiring it for public clients. Document the configured issuer, endpoints, client authentication, key handling, and token handling for the deployment.

Implement the authorization flow with security checks

  1. Configure a trusted issuer

    Start with a configured, trusted authorization server or OpenID Provider issuer. Obtain its endpoints and configuration from a trusted source; do not allow a user-controlled issuer or endpoint to drive discovery. RFC 9700 recommends Authorization Server Metadata, including as a way to improve deployment security and detect PKCE support. Record the provider-specific discovery configuration and endpoints for the deployment.

  2. Create fresh, bound transaction values

    For every authorization request, generate a new PKCE verifier and derive its S256 challenge. Bind the verifier to that authorization transaction, client, and user agent. Use S256: RFC 9700 identifies it as the challenge method that currently prevents disclosure of the verifier in the authorization request.

    For OIDC, send a transaction-specific nonce and later verify the returned claim. Use a one-time state value securely bound to the user agent when needed for CSRF protection or application state. Never reuse these values. PKCE can provide CSRF protection only if the client has ensured the server supports PKCE; otherwise use state or nonce as appropriate. State alone is not a substitute for the PKCE requirement on public clients.

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  3. Register and match the redirect URI exactly

    Register complete callback URI values and use exact string matching when processing requests. Do not accept a callback merely because it shares a prefix or host suffix with a registered URI. RFC 9700 specifies exact matching, with the limited exception of port numbers in localhost redirect URIs for native apps. Avoid wildcard matching and callback endpoints that redirect to arbitrary destinations supplied in request parameters: open redirects can expose codes or tokens or mislead users.

  4. Redeem the code with its original verifier

    Send the authorization code to the configured token endpoint with the original PKCE verifier and the expected redirect URI. The authorization server must enforce a verifier when a challenge was sent, and must not accept an unpaired verifier when the authorization request had no challenge. Public clients must use PKCE; confidential clients are also recommended to use it.

  5. Validate the OIDC result before using claims

    Apply OpenID Connect Core’s ID Token validation rules for the flow and token delivery path. At minimum, verify that the iss claim exactly matches the expected issuer and that aud contains the registered client ID. Any additional audiences must be trusted. When there are multiple audiences, check for azp; if it is present, verify it against the client ID. If a nonce was sent, compare the returned nonce with the transaction’s value. Validate the signature and time-related claims as required for the flow. Abort any operation that depends on claims from a token that fails validation.

    Decoding a JWT only reveals its contents; it does not establish who issued it, whether its signature is valid, whether it was intended for this client, or whether it is current. Validation is the trust decision.

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Handle more than one authorization server without mix-ups

If a client can use multiple authorization servers, it must distinguish which server issued an authorization response. RFC 9700 recommends checking the response’s iss value as specified by RFC 9207, or using an alternative issuer value in an ID Token or a JWT Secured Authorization Response Mode (JARM) response. If issuer signaling is unavailable, distinct redirect URIs for different issuers are an alternative defense. A generic callback that accepts responses from several issuers without an explicit defense risks a mix-up attack.

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Check these failure modes before release

  • PKCE is absent or downgraded: Public clients need PKCE. Confirm server support, send S256, and verify that the server enforces the original challenge at code redemption.
  • Transaction values are predictable or reused: Generate fresh PKCE, state, and nonce values as applicable, and bind them to the transaction and user agent.
  • Redirect matching is permissive: Reject partial, wildcard, or suffix matches instead of treating them as equivalent to the registered URI.
  • Claims are used before validation: Reject an ID Token that fails issuer, audience, signature, time, or applicable nonce checks; do not rely on successful decoding.
  • A callback forwards to an arbitrary URL: Remove open redirect behavior, especially where a request parameter chooses the destination.
  • Several issuers share an unprotected callback: Add issuer signaling checks or a distinct-redirect-URI defense.

The central standards references are the IETF’s RFC 9700, Best Current Practice for OAuth 2.0 Security, published in January 2025, and the OpenID Foundation’s OpenID Connect Core 1.0, finalized February 25, 2014. Use the provider’s documented configuration alongside these standards; the standards do not establish a universally best provider or a single storage design for every application.

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