Identity & access management
In PHP development, Identity & access management (IAM) is the critical discipline of building secure authentication and authorization systems. It is the foundation of application security, ensuring that only legitimate users can access the application (authentication) and that they can only perform actions they are permitted to (authorization). A strong understanding of IAM principles is essential for any developer working on applications that handle user accounts or sensitive data.
Core Concepts in PHP IAM
Authentication verifies a user's identity, typically with a username and password. Modern PHP provides secure functions like password_hash() and password_verify() for this purpose. Authorization involves defining what an authenticated user is allowed to do, often implemented through Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), where users are assigned roles with specific permissions. Frameworks like Symfony and Laravel have robust security components to manage these processes.
Essential Technologies and Protocols
Beyond basic logins, modern IAM often involves protocols for single sign-on (SSO) and API security. Key technologies in this space include:
- OAuth 2.0: An authorization framework for granting third-party applications limited access to user resources without exposing credentials.
- OpenID Connect (OIDC): A simple identity layer built on top of OAuth 2.0 that provides user authentication and basic profile information.
- JSON Web Tokens (JWT): A compact, URL-safe standard for creating access tokens that assert claims, commonly used for securing APIs.
- SAML: A standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, often used in enterprise SSO environments.
