OAuth 2.0 credentials

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 5, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of OAuth 2.0 Credentials

    OAuth 2.0 credentials facilitate ServiceNow's access to user accounts on HTTP services. These credentials are managed through the Credentials form specifically designed for OAuth 2.0, allowing for secure integration with various authentication providers.

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    Key Features

    • Name: Assign a unique, descriptive name to the credential.
    • Active: Set the credential to active or inactive.
    • OAuth Entity Profile: Define a combination of grant type and scope.
    • Connect to Auth Server via MID Server: Link the ServiceNow instance to an on-premise or cloud-based OAuth server through a MID Server, applicable when using Client Credentials grant type.
    • Applies To: Specify whether the credential is for all MID Servers or a specific one, ensuring proper communication with the Auth server.
    • Order: Determine the sequence for credential usage during Discovery, with lower numbers indicating higher priority.
    • Credential Alias: Tie a specific alias to the OAuth 2.0 credential for easier identification.
    • Integration Type: Choose between System or Personal integration types, affecting how OAuth tokens are retrieved based on user profiles.

    Key Outcomes

    Utilizing OAuth 2.0 credentials enables secure API integrations while maintaining user-specific access controls. By correctly configuring these credentials, ServiceNow customers can ensure reliable authentication with third-party services, enhancing the overall functionality and security of their applications.

    OAuth 2.0 credentials enable ServiceNow to obtain access to user accounts on an HTTP service.

    These fields are available in the Credentials form for OAuth 2.0.
    Table 1. OAuth 2.0 credentials form
    Field Input value
    Name Enter a unique and descriptive name for this credential. For example, you might call it OAuth2 credential.
    Active Specify whether this credential is active.
    OAuth Entity Profile An OAuth profile is a combination of a grant type and at least one scope.
    Connect to Auth Server via MID Server Connects your ServiceNow instance to an on-premise OAuth server that resides behind a firewall through a MID Server. It can also connect your ServiceNow instance to a cloud-based OAuth server through a MID server. When this option is enabled, the request for an OAuth token is sent through the MID Server.
    Important:
    • The option appears when the value in the Grant type field in the OAuth Entity Profile is set to Client Credentials. To learn how to set an OAuth entity profile for a third-party OAuth provider, see Connect to a third-party OAuth provider.
    • If you select the Connect to Auth Server via MID Server checkbox, you must identify the required MID Server or MID Servers from the Applies to list.
    Applies to

    Specify if the credential record is applicable for all MID Servers, or a specific MID Server. If specific, add the MID servers as necessary.

    Important:

    Ensure that you are aware of these considerations if you have selected the Connect to Auth Server via MID Server check box.

    • Ensure that all the MID Servers selected in Applies to can communicate with the Auth server. This is required to execute the token request against the Token URL mentioned in the OAuth provider record (that is linked to the OAuth entity profile specified in the OAuth 2.0 credential record).Token URL in the OAuth provider record.
    • Ensure that there is at least one MID Server (in the MID Servers selected in Applies to) with these configurations:
      • The value of the Status field is Up.
      • The value of the Validated field is Yes.
      • The capability of the MID Server is set to REST or ALL. To learn how to configure the MID server, see .MID Server status.

        To learn more about these statuses, see MID Server dashboard.
    Order

    Order (sequence) in which Discovery tries this credential as it attempts to log on to devices. The smaller the number, the higher in the list this credential appears. Establish credential order when using large numbers of credentials or when security locks out users after three failed login attempts. If all the credentials have the same order number (or none), the instance tries the credentials in a random order.
    Credential alias Specify the credential alias that you want to tie to the OAuth 2.0 credential.
    Integration Type Indicates the integration type for the credential. Invoke an API of a third-party with an OAuth request that generates an OAuth token that is system or user specific. Following are the integration types:
    • System: Pull the token information based on the requester profile.
    • Personal: Pull the token information that is user-specific. The user who initiates the session.

    If this Personal is selected on the OAuth Requestor Profile page, an additional flag called as Personal is displayed.

    Note:
    • Any information that is related to a user can only be accessed with user-specific OAuth tokens with the Integration Type as Personal.
    • To use the session user-related token, you have to select the Run As filed in the Flow properties as User who initiates session.