Backend · Junior · Theory

What's the difference between authentication and authorization? And once a user has logged in, how does the server know who's making a request?

~4 min by voice

How to approach it

This checks whether the candidate distinguishes "who are you" from "what are you allowed to do" and understands the mechanics: how, after login, each subsequent request is tied to the user through a session or a token, and what security trade-offs that involves.

Have you seen this question in a real interview?

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Topics

authentication authorization

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Answer by voice

The interviewer will ask this question and listen. Think out loud and ask for a hint if you need one. When you're done, pause or tap “That's my answer”. In about a minute, your score and the points you covered show up here.

Best with headphones · ~4 min