Bearer Token Authentication
A bearer token is an access credential sent in the HTTP Authorization header as Bearer followed by the token. Whoever bears, or holds, the token is granted access, without additional proof of identity, so bearer tokens must be transmitted only over HTTPS and kept confidential.
Technical Architecture & Deep-Dive
OAuth access tokens, JWTs, and many API keys are used as bearer tokens. Their simplicity makes them universal, but theft equals full access until the token expires or is revoked.
Best practice is to give clients narrowly scoped, short-lived, or origin-restricted bearer tokens, while powerful upstream credentials stay in a server-side vault and are attached only at the edge.
Key Architectural Benefits
Implement Bearer Token Authentication at the Edge
Deploy lightweight API aggregation, edge caching, and secret injection in minutes without Docker containers or complex servers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:What is the difference between a bearer token and an API key?
An API key is a type of credential. Bearer describes how a credential is presented. Many API keys are sent as bearer tokens.
Related Architecture Concepts
A Client Token is a scoped, revocable authentication credential designed for frontend web and mobile applications. It grants permission to invoke specific edge API pipelines while enforcing allowed-origin domains and rate limits, safely abstracting sensitive upstream API secrets.
A JSON Web Token (JWT) is a compact, URL-safe token containing a JSON payload of claims, such as user ID and expiration, signed by the issuer. Servers verify the signature to trust the claims without a database lookup, enabling stateless authentication.
An API key is a unique secret string that identifies the application calling an API and authorizes its access. Providers use keys to authenticate requests, enforce quotas, and bill usage. Anyone holding the key can act as your application, so secret keys must stay on trusted servers.
Ready-to-Use Edge Recipes
You should not store Intercom credentials in React client code. Intercom contacts and events via edge proxy with server-side Bearer token. RealComposer Secret Vault injects headers on Cloudflare Workers so only your edge URL is public.
To solve call github api with private personal access token from client, never execute unauthenticated requests or embed private tokens directly in client bundles. RealComposer acts as a sub-10ms edge gateway running on Cloudflare Workers that securely injects credentials from your Secret Vault, normalizes responses, and prevents unauthorized API usage. Route calls through your RealComposer edge URL to guarantee complete privacy, robust origin validation, and low mobile latency.