Visibility: Headers are typically not logged or displayed in browser history, reducing the risk of exposure.
Tampering:
Modifying headers is generally more difficult than altering request bodies, enhancing security.
Caching:
Headers are less likely to be cached, preventing unauthorized access.
Efficiency
Standard: Headers are a standardized part of HTTP requests, making processing efficient.
Early Validation: Servers can validate the token before processing the request body, optimizing performance.
Other Considerations
Idempotency: Some HTTP methods (like GET) are idempotent, meaning they can be repeated without changing the result. Passing tokens in the body could lead to unintended consequences if a request is retried.
Content-Type:
Request bodies often have specific content types (e.g., JSON, XML), while headers are agnostic.
In summary, passing JWTs in headers provides a secure, efficient, and standardized approach to authentication.
By placing the access token in the header, we ensure that it is processed before the request body, and it is less likely to be intercepted or tampered with.
Security
Visibility: Headers are typically not logged or displayed in browser history, reducing the risk of exposure.
Tampering: Modifying headers is generally more difficult than altering request bodies, enhancing security.
Caching: Headers are less likely to be cached, preventing unauthorized access.
Efficiency Standard: Headers are a standardized part of HTTP requests, making processing efficient. Early Validation: Servers can validate the token before processing the request body, optimizing performance.
Other Considerations
Idempotency: Some HTTP methods (like GET) are idempotent, meaning they can be repeated without changing the result. Passing tokens in the body could lead to unintended consequences if a request is retried.
Content-Type:
Request bodies often have specific content types (e.g., JSON, XML), while headers are agnostic. In summary, passing JWTs in headers provides a secure, efficient, and standardized approach to authentication.
By placing the access token in the header, we ensure that it is processed before the request body, and it is less likely to be intercepted or tampered with.