Modern web applications are no longer standalone, monolithic codebases. Instead, they are expected to integrate with external, 3rd party applications to allow users to tap into new features, integrate with their social networks, and to easily migrate their data between systems. Many services afford these integrations by building web services that use the OAuth standard to authenticate users and allow “secure delegated access” on their behalf.

There are two versions of OAuth. Version 1.0 as introduced introduced in 2007, and version 2.0 was released in 2012. Integrating Web Services with OAuth and PHP describes the differences between the two versions, explains the jargon associated with each, and—most importantly—provides working PHP examples for integrating with popular web services such as Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and others. This book also includes a primer on the HTTP protocol, highlights open-source resources for clients and servers, and discusses issues with OAuth and application security.

Written by PHP professional Matt Frost, this book is a useful resource for any developer that builds or integrates with online applications.

Read a sample excerpt from the book

Integrating Web Services with OAuth and PHP Contents

This book covers the following topics:

• HTTP Requests & Responses: understand the basics of how they work.
• OAuth Background and Challenges: see the problems which we will try to address.
• OAuth 1 Request Flow, Clients, and Servers: look into how the authorization flow works in version 1.0.
• Integrating with Services using OAuth 1: builds practical examples for integration.
• OAuth 2 Request Flow, Clients, and Servers: look into how the authorization flow works in version 2.0.
• Integrating with OAuth 2 Providers: example code showing how to register and use an external provider.
• Security: highlights security issues specific to OAuth implementations.

About the Author

Matt has been writing software for fun and profit for the last 15 years and is an active member of the PHP Community. He participates in the PHP Mentoring initiative as a mentor and apprentice. When he’s not thinking about, writing about, or writing code Matt enjoys baseball (specifically the Chicago Cubs), playing drums and guitar, running and goofing around with his kids.