Authorization
Also called authz.
Authorization decides what an identified user or system is allowed to access or do.
Example
You are signed in, which is authenticationAuthentication checks that a person, application, or service is the identity it claims to be.. The site still refuses the edit because this account may not manage that record. That refusal is authorization.
Why it matters
The identity is already authenticationAuthentication checks that a person, application, or service is the identity it claims to be.'s job. Authorization is the allow-or-deny step after that. OAuth is a common way to delegate a limited authorization to an app without giving that app the password.
Common confusion
Authorization is not sign-in. Auth is an ambiguous short word. Use authenticationAuthentication checks that a person, application, or service is the identity it claims to be. or authorization when the difference matters.
Sources
Updated September 30, 2026.