An access token is an authorization string that provides secure access to ArcGIS content, data, and resources. All requests that applications make to ArcGIS services require an access token.
To get an access token, you can create an API key or generate a user token with OAuth 2.0.
API keys
You need to implement API key authentication to use an access token. To do so, you use ArcGIS portal to create an API key credential to generate a long-lived access token that you can include in requests to ArcGIS services. The privileges you configure in the credential determine which ArcGIS services and resources the token can access.
To learn how to create an API key credential and get an access token, go to the tutorial below.
User tokens
A user token is a short-lived access token used to authorize requests to ArcGIS services. The type of account the user has as well as their privileges determine which ArcGIS services and resources can be accessed with the token.
To use user tokens, you need to implement user authentication. To do so, you use ArcGIS portal to create an OAuth credential and then implement OAuth 2.0 user authentication in your application. When OAuth 2.0 is implemented, an access token is generated for each user that signs in and it is used to make requests on their behalf.
To learn how to create an OAuth credential for user authentication, go to the tutorial below.
