What is the Difference Between Authentication and Authorisation?

The main difference between authentication and authorization lies in their purpose and process:

• Authentication: This process is responsible for verifying the identity of a user. It confirms that the user is who they claim to be. Authentication typically involves the use of passwords, one-time pins, biometric information, or other information provided by the user.
• Authorization: This process determines what specific resources, applications, files, and data a user has access to. It is responsible for granting or denying access to these resources based on the user's identity and privileges.

In simpler terms, authentication is like showing your ID at an airport security checkpoint to prove who you are, while authorization is like presenting your boarding pass to the flight attendant to confirm that you have permission to board the flight and access the plane.

In summary, authentication and authorization are two distinct processes that work together in identity and access management:

• Authentication verifies the user's identity.
• Authorization determines the user's access to resources.

Both processes are essential for ensuring the security and privacy of systems and information.

Comparative Table: Authentication vs Authorisation

The main difference between authentication and authorization lies in their purpose and process. Here is a table summarizing their key differences:

In simple terms, authentication is the process of verifying who a user is, while authorization is the process of verifying what they have access to. Authentication is a prerequisite for authorization, meaning that before a user can be granted access to a resource or system, they must first authenticate themselves to confirm their identity. Once authenticated, authorization is used to determine what the user can do based on predefined roles, permissions, or attributes.