Discuss a subsystem

Identity & Access Control

Let users and organizations authenticate, manage identities, and enforce permissions.

Implement this subsystem

Machine Access

These entities let applications, services, and automated agents act without a person signing in.

Entities

Service Account: A non-human identity owned by an organization.
API Key: A long-lived secret that authenticates a service account or application.
OAuth Client: A registered application that can request access tokens.
Scoped Token: A short-lived token limited to specific permissions.
Delegated Grant: A user's consent for an application to act on their behalf.

Model

Rendering diagram…

Diagram source

erDiagram
  ORGANIZATION ||--o{ SERVICE_ACCOUNT : owns
  SERVICE_ACCOUNT ||--o{ API_KEY : authenticates_with
  OAUTH_CLIENT ||--o{ SCOPED_TOKEN : obtains
  USER ||--o{ DELEGATED_GRANT : consents
  DELEGATED_GRANT }o--|| OAUTH_CLIENT : authorizes

Key Rules

Keys are stored hashed. A key is shown once at creation, and has an identifying prefix so leaks can be detected.
Tokens are scoped and short-lived. Each grants only what its task needs, and expires quickly.
Delegation never exceeds the user. An application acting for a user can do no more than that user can.

Implementation

Implement this subsystem

Implementation starts with technical scoping. We review your existing architecture, agree on boundaries, interfaces, and acceptance criteria, and adapt this design to fit before committing to delivery milestones.

There is no off-the-shelf package or fixed price: scope, timeline, and cost follow from that alignment.

Implement this subsystem