Delegated authorization is the process by which a person grants a third party, such as an application or an AI agent, permission to act on their behalf, without handing over their credentials. OAuth 2.0 is the standard mechanism for delegated authorization on the web, and it is the same underlying pattern that agentic identity relies on.
Frequently asked questions
How is delegated authorization different from sharing a password?
Sharing a password gives full, unscoped access with no way to revoke just the delegate's access; delegated authorization grants narrow, revocable permissions without exposing the credential at all.
What's the difference between delegated authorization and delegated consent?
Delegated authorization is the technical mechanism (OAuth 2.0); delegated consent is the customer-facing moment of approving what a specific agent may do. See delegated consent.
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