4.10 Authentication: Key vs. Oauth

• Many APIs require an access key or token (see big query lab)
• Be careful with those keys! (bots crawl through the web to identify all sorts of vulnerabilities)
• An alternative, open standard is called OAuth
  • Admittedly, I have never used it.
• Connections without sharing username or password, only temporary tokens that can be refreshed
• httr package in R implements most authentication cases