ClientToAuthenticator
ClientToAuthenticator refers to the interface and protocol used by a client component to obtain authentication from an authenticator in a distributed security system. The client can be a web application, mobile app, or API consumer, while the authenticator verifies identity and issues credentials, tokens, or assertions that prove the client’s authenticated status. The term highlights the communication channel, data formats, and security requirements governing this exchange, independent of the specific client or identity framework in use.
In typical architectures, the authenticator maintains user identities and issues tokens after verifying credentials or proofs
Common patterns include front-channel interactions using redirects and user agents (as in OAuth 2.0 and OpenID
Security considerations for ClientToAuthenticator include strict client authentication, appropriate token lifetimes, scope limiting, audience restrictions, PKCE
In practice, ClientToAuthenticator is a component of an identity and access management stack and is compatible