Objectstoken

Objectstoken is a software construct that serves as a portable reference to a logical object within a computer system. It functions as a lightweight handle that can be passed between processes, services, or components, allowing decoupling of object identity from a concrete memory address or a local reference.

Typically an objectstoken encodes or conveys the object's type and identifier along with access rights or metadata required to retrieve or manipulate the object. Tokens may be opaque to clients or structured in a compact format such as a small JSON object or a token string. Many implementations include expiry times and scope information to support security and lifecycle management.

Common use cases include distributed object systems, microservices architectures, remote procedure calls, object databases, and caching layers where direct references are unsafe or impractical. A token can usually be exchanged for the actual object by a trusted service or authorization layer, often after verification of permissions.

Security considerations are central to objectstokens. Tokens should be protected in transit and at rest, be short-lived, and be revocable. They should carry verifiable claims and use appropriate cryptographic protection, and services should validate tokens before granting access or retrieval of the object.

Relation to related concepts: object references, handles, and pointers versus tokens; capability-based security models; and contrast with traditional memory addresses or remote references. Variants include opaque tokens, self-contained tokens carrying claims, and time-bounded or context-aware tokens.

See also: token; access token; object reference; capability.