Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

JSON Web Token VS Identity-Aware Proxy

Compare JSON Web Token VS Identity-Aware Proxy and see what are their differences

JSON Web Token logo JSON Web Token

JSON Web Tokens are an open, industry standard RFC 7519 method for representing claims securely between two parties.

Identity-Aware Proxy logo Identity-Aware Proxy

Google Cloud’s Identity-Aware Proxy implements zero-trust access for GCP resources.
  • JSON Web Token Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-19
  • Identity-Aware Proxy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30

JSON Web Token features and specs

  • Stateless
    Since JWTs are self-contained, they do not require server-side sessions, enabling stateless authentication and reducing server memory usage.
  • Scalability
    JWTs can easily be used in distributed systems and microservices architectures due to their stateless nature, facilitating horizontal scaling.
  • Decentralized Issuance
    Multiple issuers can create and sign their own tokens, allowing for more decentralized and flexible authentication mechanisms.
  • Performance
    JWTs eliminate the need for database lookups during authenticating requests, as the token contains all the necessary information, which can lead to performance improvements.
  • Cross-domain and Mobile Compatible
    JWTs are widely supported by different platforms and can easily be used in cross-domain situations and with mobile applications.
  • Security
    JWTs can be signed and optionally encrypted, ensuring the authenticity and integrity of the data they carry.

Possible disadvantages of JSON Web Token

  • Size
    JWTs tend to be larger than session IDs, which can increase the amount of data transmitted during requests.
  • Expiration Handling
    Managing token expiration can be complex. Once a token is issued, it remains valid until it expires or is explicitly revoked.
  • No Built-in Revocation
    Unlike sessions, JWTs cannot be easily revoked server-side, making it difficult to immediately invalidate tokens without additional mechanisms.
  • Security Risks
    If a JWT is intercepted or compromised, it can be used until it expires. Thus, it should be properly secured and transmitted over HTTPS.
  • Token Overhead
    Embedding too much information in the token payload can lead to performance overhead and potential data exposure risks.
  • Complexity
    Implementing JWT correctly requires a thorough understanding of security practices and token lifecycle management, which can add complexity to the system.

Identity-Aware Proxy features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

JSON Web Token videos

JSON Web Tokens Suck - Randall Degges (DevNet Create 2018)

More videos:

  • Review - JSON Web Tokens with Public Key Signatures
  • Review - RFC 7519 JSON Web Token (JWT), Review

Identity-Aware Proxy videos

No Identity-Aware Proxy videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to JSON Web Token and Identity-Aware Proxy)
Identity Provider
97 97%
3% 3
Utilities
0 0%
100% 100
Identity And Access Management
SSO
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, JSON Web Token seems to be a lot more popular than Identity-Aware Proxy. While we know about 300 links to JSON Web Token, we've tracked only 8 mentions of Identity-Aware Proxy. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

JSON Web Token mentions (300)

  • Guide to JWT API Authentication
    Jwt.io is a great playground to get used to working with JWTs. - Source: dev.to / 16 days ago
  • Verifying Cognito access tokens - Comparing three JWT packages for Lambda authorizers
    The Lambda authorizer code decodes and verifies the token, and its business logic determines whether the request should proceed to the backend or be denied. Cognito access tokens are JSON Web Tokens (JWTs), and to simplify our coding, we might opt for an external package to handle token verification. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Authentication and Authorization Best Practices in ASP.NET Core
    You can decode the created JWT token using JWT IO web site to see what's inside. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • How To Use JWT Token In React JS
    JWT.io – A great resource to decode, verify, and generate JWT tokens. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • 12 Must-Have Online Tools for Every Web Developer in 2025
    Category: Token Debugging & Authentication Link: jwt.io. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
View more

Identity-Aware Proxy mentions (8)

  • Securing Grafana on Kubernetes with GCP IAP, Gateway API, and Terraform
    Grafana.ini: ... database: type: postgres host: ":5432" name: grafana user: grafana # password: "" # obtained from GF_DATABASE_PASSWORD env users: allow_sign_up: false allow_org_create: true auto_assign_org: true auto_assign_org_id: 1 auto_assign_org_role: Viewer verify_email_enabled: false default_theme: dark viewers_can_edit: false editors_can_admin:... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Moving from Google workspace to Microsoft 365 and implementing Zero Trust
    That is not how you do Zero Trust. You want to use an Identity Aware Proxy. There are lots of ways you can implement this with Google as your core auth. For example Pomerium or oauth2-proxy. Source: over 1 year ago
  • AWS Launches New Verified Access Service to Replace VPN
    It's like this, which may be what you're referring to: https://cloud.google.com/iap. Source: about 2 years ago
  • What is the proper way to build oauth2 into a google cloud function
    If System A is operated by a user in realtime, I would lean toward using strong user or app identity (Firebase Authentication, Firebase App Check or Identity-Aware Proxy). But that would mean major modifications to System A, and you described it as a "closed system" so maybe that's not possible? Source: about 2 years ago
  • End-user Authentication Options
    Put Identity-Aware Proxy in front of your application. It will block anyone who is not from the right domain or in your access control list. This option is useful if you only want to allow a list of users known ahead of time, like for a company-internal app. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing JSON Web Token and Identity-Aware Proxy, you can also consider the following products

Auth0 - Auth0 is a program for people to get authentication and authorization services for their own business use.

Google Cloud Storage Transfer Service - Complete large-scale online data transfers from online and on-premises sources to Cloud Storage.

Firebase Authentication - Application and Data, Application Utilities, and User Management and Authentication

Spring Security - The Spring portfolio has many projects, including Spring Framework, Spring IO Platform, Spring Cloud, Spring Boot, Spring Data, Spring Security...

Google Cloud Filestore - Fully-managed cloud file storage

Devise - Flexible authentication solution for Rails with Warden.