OAuth API request parameters

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of OAuth API Request Parameters

    The OAuth API facilitates access token requests through specific parameters. Customers must ensure that the content-type is set toapplication/x-www-form-urlencodedto avoid unspecified errors. Understanding the required parameters and their purposes is critical for successful API interactions.

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    Key Features

    • granttype: Required parameter indicating the type of credentials for the access token request. Acceptable values include:
      • password: Requires username and password parameters.
      • refreshtoken: Requires the refreshtoken parameter.
    • clientid: Required unique identifier of the client application.
    • clientsecret: Required shared secret for communication authorization.
    • username: Required for requests using the password grant type.
    • password: Required for requests using the password grant type.
    • refreshtoken: Required for requests using the refresh token grant type.

    Key Outcomes

    When using user credentials for authorization, the instance verifies the user’s activity and session status, producing an access token and a refresh token upon success. For refresh token requests, only a new access token is returned, assuming the refresh token is still valid. This process ensures secure transmission of credentials, enhancing overall security in API interactions.

    Example requests are provided to illustrate both methods of obtaining an access token, emphasizing the correct formatting and parameters needed for successful API calls.

    Learn about the OAuth API request parameters that access token requests use.

    Note:
    The content-type of the OAuth API should be application/x-www-form-urlencoded. A content-type of application/json results in an unspecified error.
    Table 1. Access token request parameters
    Request parameter Description
    grant_type [Required] The type of credentials authorizing the request for an access token. This parameter must have one of the following values:
    • password: A set of user credentials to authorize the access token request. Specify the user credentials in the username and password parameters.
    • refresh_token: An existing refresh token authorizes the access token request. Specify the refresh token in the refresh_token parameter.
    client_id [Required] Auto-generated unique ID of the client application requesting the access token.
    client_secret [Required] Shared secret string that the instance and the OAuth application use to authorize communications with one another.
    username User account name that authorizes the access token request. This parameter is required for access token requests with a grant_type of password.
    password Password for the user account that authorizes the access token request. This parameter is required for access token requests with a grant_type of password.
    refresh_token Existing refresh token that authorizes the access token request. This parameter is required for access token requests with a grant_type of refresh_token.

    Requests Using User Credentials

    The instance requires clients to provide user login credentials when first authorizing the client or when authorizing the creation of a new refresh token. This type of request always returns two tokens:

    • An access token
    • A refresh token

    The instance verifies that the user is active, not currently locked out, and has an interactive session. If any of these conditions are false, the instance does not produce an access token. Access requests made within the expiration time of the access token always return the current access token.

    Note:
    This type of authorization grant relies on TLS encryption to protect the user credentials during transmission.

    The following example illustrates requesting an access token with a set of user credentials (Spaces have been added to improve readability).

    
$ curl -d"grant_type=password&client_id=be3aeb583ace210011c15b24a43e25d8
&client_secret=client_password
&username=admin&password=admin" 
https://instancename.service-now.com/oauth_token.do

    Requests Using a Refresh Token

    The instance can use an existing refresh token to create a new access token. This type of request returns only an access token. The instance confirms that the refresh token has not expired before generating a new access token. Access requests made within the refresh token expiration time always return the current refresh token. Transmitting refresh tokens is generally more secure than transmitting user credentials. The following example illustrates requesting an access token with an existing refresh token (Spaces have been added to improve readability).

    
$ curl -d"grant_type=refresh_token&client_id=be3aeb583ace210011c15b24a43e25d8
&client_secret=client_password
&refresh_token=w599voG89897rGVDmdp12WA681r9E5948c1CJTPi8g4HGc4NWaz62k6k1K0FMxHW40H8yOO3Hoe" 
https://instancename.service-now.com/oauth_token.do