Final answer:
API tokens are used to authenticate and authorize access to an application's resources, serving as a secure way to grant or restrict access. They are commonly used in web development to interact with external services or allow access to certain API endpoints.
Step-by-step explanation:
API tokens are used to authenticate and authorize access to an application's resources. They serve as a secure way to grant or restrict access to specific functionalities or data within an application. API tokens are commonly used in web development to interact with external services or to allow access to certain API endpoints.
For example, when integrating a payment gateway into a website, the payment gateway provider may issue an API token that grants access to the payment processing functionalities without exposing sensitive information such as credit card details. This way, the website can securely communicate and perform actions on behalf of the user within the payment gateway.
API tokens are often implemented using JSON Web Tokens (JWT), which are encoded and encrypted strings that contain authentication and authorization information. These tokens are included in API requests and are validated by the server to ensure that the request is coming from an authorized source.