GitHub authentication

GitHub Authentication, also known as GitHub OAuth, is a secure method for users to authenticate and authorize third-party applications to access their GitHub account data or perform actions on their behalf without sharing their passwords. This process allows you to grant temporary permissions to apps, ensuring that your private information remains protected.

Here's an overview of the key aspects of GitHub authentication:

1. **Authorization flow**: Users initiate the process by granting permission to an app through the GitHub website. They are redirected to the app with a unique code that needs to be exchanged for an access token.

2. **OAuth 2.0**: GitHub uses OAuth 2.0 protocol, which involves obtaining an access token (either a short-lived or long-lived one) that identifies the user and grants limited access.

3. **Scopes**: Apps specify the level of access they need, such as read-only access to repositories, write access, or managing issues and pull requests.

4. **Personal Access Tokens**: For developers, personal access tokens can be generated to provide fine-grained access control for automation scripts or CI/CD pipelines.

5. **OAuth Flows**: There are different types of flows, like implicit flow for single-page web applications and authorization code flow for server-side apps.