OAuthi

OAuthi is an open standard for authorization and delegated access that aims to extend and improve the interoperability, security, and user consent flows of OAuth 2.0. It defines a coherent set of mechanisms for obtaining, binding, and renewing access tokens, with an emphasis on fine-grained scopes, explicit consent, and better support for diverse environments such as cloud services, mobile apps, and Internet of Things devices.

In OAuthi, the familiar roles—the resource owner, the client, the authorization server, and the resource server—remain central, but the specification elaborates on token handling and client registration. It describes standard grant patterns (including authorization code and device/code flows) while promoting shorter lived access tokens, rotated refresh tokens, and stronger binding between tokens and clients. Dynamic client registration is enhanced to allow clients to register capabilities and constraints at runtime, improving permissions management and revocation capabilities. Tokens may be issued as signed tokens or opaque tokens, with explicit audience (aud) and scope information to support scalable resource servers and better token introspection.

Security and privacy considerations are emphasized in OAuthi. Required use of PKCE for public clients, enforced transport-layer security, and protections against replay and interception are central features. Token binding, granular consent prompts, robust auditing, and clear revocation semantics are promoted to reduce abuse and improve user trust. Privacy controls include per-app consent history and revocation hooks, enabling users to review and manage delegated access.

Adoption and usage patterns for OAuthi are intended to be backward compatible with OAuth 2.0 clients and libraries, enabling gradual migration. It is applicable to enterprise API ecosystems, cloud platforms, and consumer services that require scalable, auditable access control.

See also: OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect.