AuthN is: I claim to be dreadgoat, but how can I prove it? (login, password, mfa)
AuthZ is: Now that you know I am dreadgoat, do I have permission to post this comment? (access control, roles, attributes)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I know what they are and the differences, I thought the N and Z would somehow be an easy way to work it out/remember. But the trick is just to remember which is which.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

N comes before Z in the alphabet, and you must always AuthN before you can AuthZ. Easy mnemonic.

[–] RandomDevOpsDude 1 points 1 year ago

This is a great explanation, thank you.

I deal mainly with authorization and I'm not sure I've ever had the differences explained this simply (so I incorrectly lump them together)