@hackproduct9: Most authentication discussions are taught the wrong way. People compare API Keys, JWTs, and OAuth as if they’re competing technologies. They’re not. They solve completely different problems. The easiest way to think about it is this: 👉 Ask who is calling? If an application is calling another application, use an API Key. If a logged-in user is calling your backend, use a JWT. If your application needs permission to access another service on behalf of a user, use OAuth 2.0. That’s why modern AI products use all three. A typical ChatGPT flow looks something like: 1️⃣ You log in with Google → OAuth 2.0 2️⃣ ChatGPT creates a session token → JWT 3️⃣ ChatGPT’s backend calls OpenAI and other services → API Keys Once you understand that flow, a lot of authentication concepts suddenly become much easier to reason about. This is also why AI engineers are increasingly expected to understand authentication beyond interview definitions. Whether you’re building: • AI agents • MCP servers • Internal tools • SaaS platforms • Enterprise integrations • Multi-agent systems You’ll likely encounter all three patterns. The goal isn’t memorizing definitions. The goal is understanding where each one belongs in a real system. Different problems. Different tools. Follow @hackproduct for more AI engineering, system design, data engineering, and interview preparation content. #AIEngineering #SystemDesign #SoftwareEngineering #Authentication #OAuth

HackProduct

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Sunday 21 June 2026 20:03:19 GMT