Understanding Authentication: OAuth 2.0, SSO, and Why It All Matters

What Is Authentication?

At its core, authentication is how an app verifies that you are who you say you are. That could be through:

• A username and password
• A social login (e.g. “continue with Google”)
• A token generated by another app
• A biometric check (like fingerprint or Face ID)

Authentication was compared to travelling: your passport is a form of authentication, just like your login credentials. It helps the system recognize you, validate your identity, and let you through the “gate.” Some platforms care deeply about this (like banks), others less so (like forums or open websites). The key is matching the level of access to the level of trust.

Understanding SSO and OAuth 2.0 SSO (Single Sign-On)

This is what lets you log in once and access multiple services under the same umbrella. Think of university login systems - one username gives you access to your courses, library, email, and more. OAuth 2.0, on the other hand, is the underlying protocol that enables this delegation access. Our developer used the analogy of a hotel:

• You check in once to prove your identity
• You are given a key card (a token). That key only opens certain doors (e.g. your room, the gym, maybe the spa) It does not need to carry all your info - it just needs to say, “Yes, this person has access to X”

To make things even more secure, many systems layer on OpenID Connect, which wraps basic identity info into the OAuth token (your name, email, etc.), so apps know who you are in addition to what you can do.

To make it more tangible, our CEO Brighton ran a live demo during the session - logging into Fathom.video using Google. As he clicked “sign in with Google,” we watched the browser redirect to Google’s servers, then back to the app - the token quietly exchanged behind the scenes. No passwords entered, no separate account created - just a secure, delegated login flow in action. These are the invisible handshakes that power much of today’s software, from team tools to enterprise platforms.

Where Docker Comes In

While Docker was not the focus of the demo, it played a critical role in our developer’s experience working with OAuth supported designs and implementation, allowing him to:

• Spin up isolated environments quickly
• Test different auth configurations locally
• Ensure consistent dev environments, especially when debugging complex login flows

In a future Aakibyte, there will be a Docker walkthrough to show how it supports this kind of backend work.

AakiTech’s POV

At AakiTech, we often build for clients who use institutional systems like Azure AD, Okta, or Keycloak. That means we are not just writing login screens - we are thinking about:

• Delegated trust
• Seamless sign-on experiences
• Security across multiple tools and platforms.

Understanding OAuth 2.0 and SSO is not just a dev task - it is about building systems that are secure, user-friendly, and adaptable, especially in contexts like education, government, and growing businesses in Africa.

Takeaway

OAuth 2.0 and SSO can seem intimidating at first, but they are the invisible glue holding modern app access together. Whether you are signing into a school portal or connecting your Google Calendar to Zoom, there is a quiet, powerful infrastructure keeping it all running. As developers, it is our job to not just understand how this works - but to make sure our users never have to think about it.