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RCS Business Messaging

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Authentication

Overview:

The AT&T RCS API utilizes JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for authentication to ensure secure and efficient communication between client applications and the API. JWT is an open standard (RFC 7519) that defines a compact and self-contained way for securely transmitting information between parties as a JSON object. This information can be verified and trusted because it is digitally signed.

Authentication Process:

  1. Client Authentication:To access the RCS API, the client application must first authenticate itself with the AT&T authentication server to obtain a JWT. This typically involves providing credentials such as an API key and secret or using OAuth 2.0 to obtain the token.

  2. Token Generation:Upon successful authentication, the authentication server generates a JWT, which includes claims about the client application and its permissions. The JWT is signed using a secret or a public/private key pair to ensure its integrity and authenticity.

  3. Using the JWT:The client application includes the JWT in the Authorization header of its HTTP requests to the RCS API. The header should follow this format:Authorization: Bearer <your_jwt_token>

  4. Token Verification:When the RCS API receives a request, it verifies the JWT. This involves checking the token's signature to ensure it has not been tampered with and validating the claims (such as the token's expiration time, issuer, and audience). If the token is valid, the API processes the request; otherwise, it returns an authentication error.

Example JWT Structure:

A JWT typically consists of three parts: Header, Payload, and Signature. These parts are encoded and concatenated with periods.

  • Header:json Copy Code1{2 "alg": "HS256",3 "typ": "JWT"4}
  • Payload:json Copy Code1{2 "sub": "1234567890",3 "name": "Example Client",4 "iat": 1516239022,5 "exp": 1516242622,6 "iss": "https://auth.att.com",7 "aud": "https://rcs.api.att.com"8}
  • Signature: The signature is created by taking the encoded header, the encoded payload, a secret, and the algorithm specified in the header (e.g., HMAC SHA256).

Token Claims:

Common claims included in the JWT payload for the RCS API might include:

  • sub (Subject): The subject of the token, usually the client application's identifier.
  • name: The name of the client application.
  • iat (Issued At): The timestamp when the token was issued.
  • exp (Expiration Time): The timestamp when the token expires.
  • iss (Issuer): The issuer of the token, typically the authentication server URL.
  • aud (Audience): The intended audience for the token, typically the RCS API endpoint.

Security Considerations:

  • Ensure the JWT is transmitted over HTTPS to protect against interception.
  • Validate the token's signature and claims to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Use short-lived tokens and refresh them periodically to minimize the risk of token abuse.
  • Implement proper error handling to manage authentication failures gracefully.

This description provides a comprehensive overview of how JWT-based authentication can be implemented for the AT&T RCS API, ensuring secure and efficient access for client applications.

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