Web API Development with Flask (Video 19)

This video tutorial covers token-based authentication for web applications and APIs. It explains the importance of tokens, their characteristics, and how to implement them without using additional extensions. The tutorial includes practical steps for setting up token authentication in Flask, testing with Postman, and ensuring security. The video concludes with a preview of the next topic, which is the usage of cookies in Flask applications.

What is a key characteristic of token-based authentication?

• It is only used for securing databases.

• It requires cookies to be stored on the client side.

• It is stateless and helps in scaling applications.

• It is stateful and requires server-side sessions.

Why should tokens have a time frame for validity?

• To allow third parties to generate them easily.

• To ensure they can be reused indefinitely.

• To prevent unauthorized access after a certain period.

• To make them easier to remember for users.

What is the purpose of the 'myAuthToken' header in the implementation?

• To store user preferences.

• To validate the client's request.

• To log user activities.

• To encrypt the data being sent.

What happens if the authorization token is incorrect when accessing the API?

• The server returns a 200 OK response.

• The server automatically corrects the token.

• The server ignores the request.

• The server returns a 401 Unauthorized error.

What tool is used to test the API in the video?

• Postman

• Swagger

• Insomnia

• cURL