Frequently Asked Questions¶
About Mytokens and other Concepts¶
What is the format of a mytoken?
By default mytokens are represented as JWTs. Refer to the technical details for
information about the encoded data.
For use-cases where shorter tokens are needed a mytoken can also be represented as a short mytoken - a much shorter but opaque string.
What is the difference between a mytoken and an OIDC refresh token?
Indeed mytokens and refresh token are related. One can see a mytoken as a proxy to the refresh token. The
mytoken server uses the refresh token in the background and stores it securely; the user receives the linked mytoken.
There are two main differences, between mytokens and refresh tokens:
mytokenscan be passed around whilerefresh tokenscannotmytokenscan have additionalrestrictions
What is the difference between the mytoken service and oidc-agent?
Both promise to offer access tokens on the command line. The main difference is that oidc-agent was designed as a
local agent. While this has advantages (refresh token never leaves local machine) it also requires each user to have
an own OIDC client (or to use a public client). Mytoken with a central mytoken server on the other hand can be used
without registering OIDC clients, and the mytoken tokens can also be easily used on multiple devices - therefore also
enabling use cases such as usage within long-running compute jobs.
Note that oidc-agent has also support for mytokens, i.e. you can use mytokens with oidc-agent.
About the Client¶
What is the difference between the mytoken client and oidc-agent?
Both can be used to obtain access tokens on the command by using a mytoken. However, the mytoken client does not manage your mytokens and you have to take care of that yourself, i.e. you have to pass in a mytoken.
oidc-agent stores a "master" mytoken in its agent account configuration and uses it to obtain access tokens
and also sub-mytokens.
Where is the config file located?
If the directory ~/.config exists the config file is located inside ~/.config/mytoken otherwise in ~/.mytoken.
About the Server¶
Can I run my own mytoken server?
Of course. See server deployment for the details.
Getting Involved¶
Where can I report bugs?
To report a bug or request a feature open an issue at GitHub (server, client) or write us an email at m-contact@lists.kit.edu.
Can I contribute to the project?
Sure. We are happy to receive pull requests.