OAuth 2.0 JSON Request

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

The OAuth 2.0 authorization framework [RFC6749] uses form encoding for requests to the token endpoint, and several extensions including [RFC7009] and [RFC7662] also use this format for their own endpoints. Additionally, due to this choice, several parameters such as the scope parameter have a special serialization defined in the protocol to allow it to be expressed within the string-based form encoding format.¶

This draft defines a method for encoding all inputs to form-based endpoints in the OAuth 2 protocol as JSON [RFC8259].¶

2. Formatting a request as JSON

The sender creates a JSON object to contain all parameters to the target endpoint. For each parameter to be sent, the parameter name is used as the object member name within that object. The value of each parameter is encoded in JSON dependent on which parameter is being sent.¶

Parameters that have a specific JSON encoding will have an indication of the defining specification in the json_encoding column of the IANA parameters registry table. If any element does not have a specific encoding, its value MUST be the string value that would have been used without this extension, without form-encoding.¶

3. Sending a request as JSON

The requester sets an HTTP Content-Type header indicating that the content is in JSON. The entity body MUST be the serialization of the JSON object as defined in Section 2.¶

If the request is rejected with 415 Unsupported Media Type, the requester MAY repeat the request using form encoding instead.¶

4. Examples

This example shows a request to the token endpoint for the authorization code grant type.¶

POST /token HTTP/1.1
Host: as.example.com
Authorization: Basic czZCaGRSa3F0MzpnWDFmQmF0M2JW
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "grant_type": "authorization_code",
    "code": "SplxlOBeZQQYbYS6WxSbIA",
    "redirect_uri": "https://client.example.com/cb"
}

This example shows a request to the token endpoint with a refresh token, the client's credentials, and a scope parameter.¶

POST /token HTTP/1.1
Host: as.example.com
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "grant_type": "refresh_token",
    "refresh_token": "tGzv3JOkF0XG5Qx2TlKWIA",
    "client_id": "s6BhdRkqt3",
    "client_secret": "7Fjfp0ZBr1KtDRbnfVdmIw",
    "scope": [ "read", "write" ]
}

This example shows a rich authorization request draft-ietf-oauth-rar to the token endpoint.¶

POST /token HTTP/1.1
Host: as.example.com
Authorization: Basic czZCaGRSa3F0MzpnWDFmQmF0M2JW
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "grant_type": "authorization_code",
    "code": "SplxlOBeZQQYbYS6WxSbIA",
    "redirect_uri": "https://client.example.com/cb",
    "authorization_details": [
      {
         "type": "account_information",
         "actions": [
            "list_accounts",
            "read_balances",
            "read_transactions"
         ],
         "locations": [
            "https://example.com/accounts"
         ]
      },
      {
         "type": "payment_initiation",
         "actions": [
            "initiate",
            "status",
            "cancel"
         ],
         "locations": [
            "https://example.com/payments"
         ],
         "instructedAmount": {
            "currency": "EUR",
            "amount": "123.50"
         },
         "creditorName": "Merchant123",
         "creditorAccount": {
            "iban": "DE02100100109307118603"
         },
         "remittanceInformationUnstructured": "Ref Number Merchant"
      }
   ]
}

This example shows a request to the introspection endpoint as defined in [RFC7662].¶

POST /introspect HTTP/1.1
Host: as.example.com
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "token": "2YotnFZFEjr1zCsicMWpAA"
}

This example shows a request to the revocation endpoint as defined in [RFC7009].¶

POST /revoke HTTP/1.1
Host: as.example.com
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "token": "45ghiukldjahdnhzdauz",
    "token_type_hint": "refresh_token"
}

This example shows a request to the device authorization endpoint as defined in [RFC8628].¶

POST /device_authorization HTTP/1.1
Host: as.example.com
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "client_id": "1406020730",
    "scope": [ "example_scope" ]
}

5. Metadata

The AS advertises support for JSON encoding using the metadata parameter json_input_supported of type boolean. Absence of this parameter indicates absence of support.¶

6. Security Considerations

As this specification provides an alternate encoding for existing parameters, there are no additional security considerations.¶

7. Privacy Considerations

As this specification provides an alternate encoding for existing parameters, there are no additional privacy considerations.¶

8. Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the engineering team of Authlete for feedback and support.¶

9. IANA Considerations

TBD¶

• json_input_supported as metadata parameter¶

• json_encoding as column in OAuth parameters table¶

Appendix A. Document History

[[ To be removed from the final specification ]]¶

-00¶

• Initial draft¶

Author's Address