What is HMAC Authentication and why is it useful?

To start with a little background, then I will outline the options for authentication of HTTP based server APIs with a focus on HMAC and lastly I will provide some tips for developers building and using HMAC based authentication. Recently I have been doing quite a bit of research and hacking in and around server APIs. Authentication for these type APIs really depends on the type of service, and falls into a couple of general categories:...

October 20, 2012 7 min