Token Management

The Managed Lifecycle

Effective Token Management is the difference between a secure system and a vulnerable one. It involves orchestrating the entire lifecycle of a token—from issuance and secure storage to rotation and eventual revocation—ensuring that credentials are only as powerful as they need to be and only for as long as necessary.

LIFECYCLE

Management Standard

Core Mission

Credential Integrity. Minimizing the "blast radius" of a compromised token by enforcing short lifespans and strict rotation policies.

Like a Rental Car Key: It only works for the duration of your contract. If you need it longer, you must "renew" your agreement (Refresh). Once returned, the key is immediately invalidated.

Credential Governance & Security

The Token Evolution Flow

Tokens transition through several critical states during their lifespan.

1

Issuance

The Auth Server creates a signed Access Token and an optional Refresh Token after successful authorization.

2

Secure Storage

The client stores tokens in a platform-appropriate secure location (e.g., httpOnly cookies or platform keychain).

3

Refresh & Rotate

When an Access Token expires, the client uses the Refresh Token to obtain a new pair, invalidating the old refresh token (Rotation).

4

Revocation

If a user logs out or a threat is detected, the tokens are explicitly invalidated via the revocation endpoint.

Secure Storage Matrix

Choosing where to store tokens is as critical as the protocol itself.

Client Type	Recommended Storage	Security Driver
Server-Side Web	httpOnly / Secure Cookies	Prevents XSS-based token theft.
Mobile Apps	Secure Enclave / Keychain	Prevents unauthorized file access.
SPAs (Modern)	Web Worker / In-Memory	Minimizes browser storage exposure.
CLI / Scripts	OS Keyring	Avoids plaintext storage in config files.

Implementation Reference: Token Rotation

// Step 3: Refreshing with rotation best practices
async function refreshTokens(oldRefreshToken) {
  const response = await fetch('https://auth.com/token', {
    method: 'POST',
    body: new URLSearchParams({
      grant_type: 'refresh_token',
      refresh_token: oldRefreshToken,
      client_id: CLIENT_ID
    })
  });

  const newTokens = await response.json();

  // IMMEDIATELY discard the old refresh token
  // Store the new_access_token and new_refresh_token
  return newTokens;
}

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Related Management Topics

Deep-dive into the technical mechanisms of token validation and security.

JWT Validation

How to securely decode and verify JSON Web Tokens.

Revocation Strategy

Designing real-time invalidation for stateless environments.

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