root@generate-random:~/oauth-tokens$ _

Random OAuth Token Generator

Generate OAuth 2.0 access tokens, refresh tokens, and OpenID Connect ID tokens for API testing, authentication development, and third-party integration testing

[ OAuth Tokens - Quick Summary ]

What: Generate OAuth 2.0 access tokens, refresh tokens, and OpenID Connect ID tokens for API authentication testing. Supports Bearer, MAC, and Basic token types with customizable formats (Base64, Base64URL, hex, alphanumeric) and configurable expiration times (1 hour to 30 days).

When to use: Testing OAuth 2.0 authorization flows (Authorization Code, Client Credentials, Device Code), developing authorization servers, validating resource server token handling, testing token introspection endpoints, implementing OpenID Connect authentication, simulating token rotation and refresh mechanisms.

Example: {"access_token":"yH3kT9mN5pQ2xR7jL4wV6sZ8","token_type":"Bearer","expires_in":3600,"refresh_token":"aB1cD0eF9gH8..."}

Security/Important: FOR TESTING ONLY. Use short-lived access tokens (1-2 hours) with longer-lived refresh tokens for production. Always implement proper OAuth 2.0 flows - never expose tokens in URLs or logs. Access tokens grant resource access, refresh tokens obtain new access tokens without re-authentication, ID tokens contain user identity claims. Always transmit over HTTPS/TLS. Implement token rotation for refresh tokens and validate signatures for JWT-based tokens.

Our OAuth token generator creates realistic OAuth 2.0 tokens including access tokens, refresh tokens, and OpenID Connect (OIDC) ID tokens for testing authentication flows, API security, and third-party integrations. Generate OAuth tokens with customizable formats (Base64, Base64URL, hex, alphanumeric), token types (Bearer, MAC, Basic), configurable expiration times, and optional refresh token support. Perfect for API authentication testing, OAuth 2.0 flow validation, OpenID Connect development, and simulating token exchange mechanisms. OAuth tokens enable delegated authorization allowing applications to access resources on behalf of users without sharing credentials. Use our generator for OAuth 2.0 testing in authorization server development, resource server validation, client application testing, and educational demonstrations of modern authentication protocols.

What is an OAuth Token Generator?

An OAuth token generator creates the three primary token types used in OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect authentication flows. **Access tokens** (required) grant access to protected resources with configurable expiration times (typically 1 hour to 30 days), formatted as random cryptographic strings in Base64, hex, or alphanumeric encoding. **Refresh tokens** (optional) enable obtaining new access tokens without re-authentication, usually with longer lifetimes (weeks to months) for improved user experience while maintaining security through rotation. **ID tokens** (optional, for OpenID Connect) contain user identity information in JWT format, providing authentication layer on top of OAuth 2.0 authorization. Token types indicate the authentication scheme: Bearer tokens (most common) sent in HTTP Authorization headers, MAC tokens requiring message authentication codes, and Basic tokens for legacy systems.

Our generator supports OAuth 2.0 RFC 6749 and OpenID Connect specifications, creating realistic test tokens suitable for all standard OAuth flows: Authorization Code (most secure for web apps), Implicit (deprecated, was used for SPAs), Resource Owner Password Credentials (username/password, limited use), Client Credentials (machine-to-machine), and Device Code (for input-constrained devices). Each generated token set includes access_token, token_type, and expires_in following OAuth 2.0 response format. Optional refresh_token enables testing token rotation strategies, while id_token supports OpenID Connect user authentication testing. Use OAuth token generation for developing authorization servers, testing resource server token validation, simulating client application flows, validating token introspection endpoints, and educational demonstrations of delegated authorization concepts.

OAuth Token Generator Configuration

Count (1-10 Token Sets)

Specify how many complete OAuth token sets to generate. Each set contains access_token (required), optional refresh_token, and optional id_token. Multiple sets are useful for testing concurrent sessions, token rotation, multi-user scenarios, and batch token validation. Limit of 10 prevents performance issues.

Token Length (20-256 chars)

Control the character length of generated access tokens. Shorter tokens (32-40 chars) are common for development. Standard production tokens (64-128 chars) balance security and size. Longer tokens (256 chars) provide maximum entropy. Token length impacts security (longer = more entropy) and bandwidth (longer = larger HTTP headers). Recommended: 40 chars for development, 64+ for production.

Format (Base64/Hex/Alphanumeric)

Select encoding format: Base64 (RFC 4648) includes +/ characters, efficient but requires URL encoding. Base64URL replaces +/ with -_ for URL-safe tokens, ideal for query parameters. Hex (0-9a-f) uses only alphanumeric, universally safe but 2x larger. Alphanumeric (a-zA-Z0-9) balances readability and size, suitable for user-facing tokens.

Token Type (Bearer/MAC/Basic)

Specify authentication scheme per OAuth 2.0 RFC 6750. Bearer tokens (default, most common) are sent as "Authorization: Bearer " headers, simple but require HTTPS. MAC tokens include cryptographic signatures for additional security. Basic tokens use HTTP Basic Authentication format, mainly for backward compatibility. Choose Bearer for modern APIs.

Expiration Time (1 hour - 30 days)

Set access token lifetime. Short expirations (1 hour, 1 day) enhance security by limiting exposure if tokens leak. Longer expirations (7-30 days) reduce token refresh frequency, improving UX. Balance security (shorter is safer) with usability (longer is convenient). Use refresh tokens for extended sessions without sacrificing access token security.

Include Refresh Token

Enable to generate refresh_token alongside access_token. Refresh tokens allow obtaining new access tokens without re-authentication, essential for long-lived sessions while maintaining short access token lifetimes. Refresh tokens typically expire after 30 days and should be rotated on use. Disable for implicit flow or short-lived access-only scenarios.

Include ID Token (OpenID Connect)

Enable to generate id_token in JWT format for OpenID Connect authentication. ID tokens contain user identity claims (sub, iss, aud, exp, iat) and enable single sign-on scenarios. Only needed when implementing OpenID Connect on top of OAuth 2.0. Disable for pure OAuth 2.0 authorization without authentication requirements.

How to Generate OAuth Tokens

[STEP 1] Configure Token Parameters

Choose count (1-10 sets), token length (40 recommended), format (Base64URL for URLs, Base64 for headers), token type (Bearer for modern APIs), and expiration (1 hour for access tokens balancing security and UX). Consider your OAuth flow: Authorization Code uses all token types, Client Credentials may skip refresh tokens.

[STEP 1] Enable Optional Tokens

Check "Include Refresh Token" for flows supporting token rotation (Authorization Code, Resource Owner Password). Refresh tokens enable long-lived sessions with short-lived access tokens. Check "Include ID Token" only for OpenID Connect authentication testing where user identity verification is required beyond authorization.

[STEP 1] Generate & Inspect Tokens

Click EXECUTE GENERATION to create OAuth token sets. Each set displays access_token (always present, color: cyan), refresh_token (if enabled, color: yellow), and id_token (if enabled, color: magenta). Use individual COPY buttons to grab tokens for testing. Verify token_type is Bearer, expires_in shows seconds, and format matches selection.

[STEP 1] Test OAuth Flows

Use access tokens in HTTP Authorization headers: "Authorization: Bearer ". Send refresh tokens to token endpoint to obtain new access tokens. Validate id_token JWT signatures and claims. Test token expiration by checking expires_in countdown. Simulate token rotation by generating multiple sets sequentially.

OAuth Token Best Practices

_ Short-Lived Access Tokens - Use brief expirations (1-2 hours) for access tokens to limit damage from theft. Combine with longer-lived refresh tokens (days/weeks) to maintain sessions without sacrificing security. This pattern enables immediate revocation while preserving user experience.
_ Token Rotation - Implement refresh token rotation: issue new refresh token with each access token refresh, invalidating old refresh token. This limits replay attacks and enables detection of token theft when old refresh token is reused.
_ Secure Storage - Store access tokens in memory (not localStorage). Store refresh tokens in httpOnly, secure, sameSite cookies to prevent XSS attacks. Never expose tokens in URLs or logs. Consider token encryption at rest for persistent storage.
_ HTTPS Only - Always transmit OAuth tokens over HTTPS/TLS. Bearer tokens in plain HTTP can be intercepted via man-in-the-middle attacks. OAuth 2.0 RFC 6749 mandates TLS for all token endpoints and protected resources.
_ Scope Limitation - Include scope parameter to request minimum necessary permissions. Avoid requesting all scopes upfront. Use incremental authorization for additional permissions only when needed, limiting token privilege.
_ Token Validation - Resource servers must validate: token signature (for JWTs), expiration (exp claim or database lookup), revocation status (check blacklist or introspection endpoint), scope (ensure sufficient permissions), audience (aud claim matches resource server).

Technical Implementation

Our OAuth token generator creates RFC 6749 compliant tokens with cryptographically secure randomness, multiple encoding formats, and optional refresh/ID tokens following OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect specifications:

// OAuth Token Generation Algorithm (RFC 6749)
Algorithm: OAuth 2.0 Access Token + Refresh Token + ID Token

// Step 1: Generate Access Token
random_bytes = cryptographically_secure_random(length)
if (format == "base64") then:
  access_token = base64_encode(random_bytes)
else if (format == "base64url") then:
  access_token = base64url_encode(random_bytes)
else if (format == "hex") then:
  access_token = hex_encode(random_bytes)
else: // alphanumeric
  access_token = random_alphanumeric(length)

// Step 2: Build OAuth Response
response = {
  "access_token": access_token,
  "token_type": token_type (e.g., "Bearer"),
  "expires_in": expires_in (seconds)
}

// Step 3: Optional Refresh Token
if (include_refresh) then:
  refresh_token = generate_token(refresh_length, format)
  response["refresh_token"] = refresh_token
  response["refresh_expires_in"] = refresh_expires_in

// Step 4: Optional ID Token (OpenID Connect)
if (include_id_token) then:
  id_token = create_jwt_with_user_claims()
  response["id_token"] = id_token

// OAuth 2.0 Token Response Format (RFC 6749 Section 5.1)
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json
{"access_token":"...","token_type":"Bearer","expires_in":3600}

API Access for Developers

Generate OAuth tokens programmatically using our free REST API. Specify format, token type, expiration, and optional refresh/ID tokens for automated testing and CI/CD pipelines.

GET https://generate-random.org/api/v1/generate/oauth-tokens?count=1&length=40&format=base64&token_type=Bearer&expires_in=3600&include_refresh=true

VIEW FULL API DOCUMENTATION →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between access tokens and refresh tokens?

Access tokens grant access to protected resources and should be short-lived (1-2 hours) to limit exposure if stolen. They are sent with every API request in Authorization headers. Refresh tokens are long-lived credentials (days to months) used exclusively to obtain new access tokens without re-authentication. Never send refresh tokens to resource servers - only to the authorization server token endpoint. This separation enables short-lived access credentials while maintaining long-lived sessions, balancing security and user experience.

When should I use OAuth tokens vs JWT tokens?

OAuth tokens and JWTs are not mutually exclusive - JWTs are often used AS OAuth access tokens or ID tokens. OAuth 2.0 specification is format-agnostic; tokens can be opaque strings (reference tokens validated via introspection) or self-contained JWTs (validated locally without database lookup). Use opaque tokens for maximum control (immediate revocation) at cost of introspection overhead. Use JWT access tokens for stateless validation (no database calls) accepting delayed revocation. ID tokens in OpenID Connect are always JWTs by specification.

What OAuth flow should I use for my application?

Authorization Code flow (with PKCE) is recommended for most scenarios: web apps with backend, mobile apps, SPAs. Client Credentials flow is for machine-to-machine communication where no user is involved. Device Code flow is for input-constrained devices (smart TVs, IoT). Implicit flow and Resource Owner Password Credentials flow are deprecated/discouraged due to security concerns. For SPAs and mobile apps, always use Authorization Code with PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) to prevent authorization code interception attacks.

How do I validate OAuth tokens in my API?

For opaque tokens: call the authorization server introspection endpoint (RFC 7662) passing the token, which returns active status, expiration, scope, and client info. Cache results to reduce latency. For JWT access tokens: verify signature using public key, check expiration (exp claim), validate issuer (iss) and audience (aud) match your server, verify scope claims, check not-before (nbf) if present. Always validate over HTTPS. Consider token revocation lists or blacklists for immediate invalidation requirements.

What is OpenID Connect and when do I need ID tokens?

OpenID Connect (OIDC) is an authentication layer built on OAuth 2.0. OAuth 2.0 provides authorization ("what can you access"), while OIDC adds authentication ("who you are"). ID tokens are JWTs containing user identity claims: sub (subject/user ID), name, email, etc. Use OIDC when you need: single sign-on, user profile information, authentication verification. Use plain OAuth 2.0 when you only need delegated access to resources without knowing user identity. ID tokens are never sent to resource servers - only used by the client application for authentication.

How do I implement token rotation securely?

Token rotation involves issuing a new refresh token each time it is used to obtain a new access token, invalidating the old refresh token. Implementation: (1) Client sends refresh token to /token endpoint, (2) Server validates refresh token, (3) Server generates new access token AND new refresh token, (4) Server invalidates old refresh token in database, (5) Server returns both new tokens. If old refresh token is reused, detect potential theft: invalidate all tokens for that user, require re-authentication. This limits replay attack window to single use.

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APA Style:
Generate-Random.org. (2025). Random OAuth Token Generator. Retrieved from https://generate-random.org/oauth-tokens

Web Citation:
Random OAuth Token Generator - Generate-Random.org (https://generate-random.org/oauth-tokens)