No Authentication vs OAuth 2.0

Developers should use No Authentication when building systems that serve public, non-sensitive data where user identity is irrelevant, such as informational websites, open data APIs, or demo applications meets developers should learn oauth 2. Here's our take.

No Authentication

Nice Pick

Developers should use No Authentication when building systems that serve public, non-sensitive data where user identity is irrelevant, such as informational websites, open data APIs, or demo applications

Pros

• It reduces development complexity and improves accessibility by removing login barriers, but it is unsuitable for scenarios requiring data privacy, user accountability, or personalized content, like banking apps or social networks
• Related to: authentication, authorization

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

OAuth 2.0

Developers should learn OAuth 2

Pros

• 0 when building applications that need to integrate with external services like Google, Facebook, or GitHub, as it provides a standardized way to handle authentication and authorization
• Related to: openid-connect, jwt

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use No Authentication if: You want it reduces development complexity and improves accessibility by removing login barriers, but it is unsuitable for scenarios requiring data privacy, user accountability, or personalized content, like banking apps or social networks and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use OAuth 2.0 if: You prioritize 0 when building applications that need to integrate with external services like google, facebook, or github, as it provides a standardized way to handle authentication and authorization over what No Authentication offers.

The Bottom Line

No Authentication wins

Developers should use No Authentication when building systems that serve public, non-sensitive data where user identity is irrelevant, such as informational websites, open data APIs, or demo applications