Authentication vs. Authorization: Understanding the Key Differences

Authentication vs authorization

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Recent Articles

May 20, 2025

10 mins

Report: Building vs Buying Authorization: Developer Experience and Trade-offs

Build vs buy for Authorization

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

May 19, 2025

10 mins

Report: Securing AI‑Assisted Vibe Coded Applications: Risks and Prefactor’s Solutions

Security risks in AI coded apps

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

May 16, 2025

3 mins

How to Version and Test Your Login Flow Like Any Other Part of Your Stack

Treat your login like code — not config.

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

May 14, 2025

3 mins

Vibe-Coding Your Startup? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Roll Your Own Authentication

Why DIY auth breaks — and what to do instead.

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

May 12, 2025

3 mins

Authentication Best Practices for Cursor, Windsurf, and Other AI-Coded Projects

Best practices for login flows in AI-coded apps like Cursor and Windsurf.

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

May 9, 2025

3 mins

How to Add Login to Your Cursor AI App (Without Firebase or Auth0)

Add login to your AI-coded app with code-first auth. No Firebase. No dashboards.

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

May 7, 2025

10 mins

Choosing the Right Authentication Solution When Coding with Cursor

Choosing authentication when vibe coding

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

May 5, 2025

3 mins

Build vs Buy — The Real Cost of Authentication

Build vs Buy your authentication tool

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

May 2, 2025

15 mins

White paper: ROI of Customer Authentication platforms in 2025

ROI of a custmer authentication platform

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 30, 2025

3 mins

Common Concerns About Third-Party Auth Providers

Challenging assumptions about buying auth solutions

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 27, 2025

3 mins

Comparing Prefactor to Hand rolled

Evaluating Prefactor vs Hand rolled

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 26, 2025

15 mins

White paper: The Future of Customer Authentication in 2025

The Future of Customer Authentication in 2025

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 24, 2025

3 mins

I Built My Own Auth — How do I evaluate the right customer identity solution?

Evaluating customer identity after I've Hand rolled my own

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 21, 2025

3 mins

Open or Closed: What Kind of User Identity Stack Should You Trust?

Open or Closed Source User Identity stack?

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 19, 2025

3 mins

Comparing Prefactor to Firebase

Evaluating Prefactor vs Firebase

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 17, 2025

15 mins

White paper: Build vs Buy Authentication in 2025

Build vs Buy 2025 - User management and Authentication

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 8, 2025

4 mins

Why build Prefactor now?

It's a crowded space. Why now?

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 7, 2025

4 mins

Our Vision for Developer Experience at Prefactor

How we're approaching developer experience in user security through our domain-specific language

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 5, 2025

3 mins

Comparing Prefactor to Clerk

Evaluating Prefactor vs Clerk

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 4, 2025

3 mins

Prefactor DSL: The Unified Language for Authentication, Authorization, and Audit

A powerful DSL that transforms fragmented user security into a cohesive, code-first platform for developers who need precision, control, and simplicity.

Matt (Co-founder and CEO)

Apr 3, 2025

3 mins

Comparing Prefactor to Kinde

Evaluating Prefactor vs Kinde

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Apr 2, 2025

3 mins

Why startups and Scale-Ups Deserve Enterprise-Grade User Management — Without the Enterprise Hassle

Unlock powerful, secure user management built for SMBs and scale-ups — no enterprise baggage required.

Matt (Co-founder and CEO)

Mar 31, 2025

3 mins

The Story Behind Prefactor: Built by Founders Who Lived the Problem

How Prefactor came to life direct from the founders

Matt (Co-founder and CEO)

Mar 30, 2025

3 mins

Comparing Prefactor to Cognito

Evaluating Prefactor vs Cognito

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)

Mar 27, 2025

2 mins

When Authentication and Authorization Join Forces: Why Unity Makes Sense

Why the user layer includes authentication and authorization

Matt (Co-founder and CEO)

Mar 24, 2025

5 minutes

The Modern Fortress: User Management as Strategic Defense

Prefactor's view on the future of Authentication, Authorization and Audit

Matt (Co-founder and CEO)

Mar 17, 2025

5 minute read

Comparing Prefactor to Auth0

Evaluating Prefactor vs Auth0

Matt (Co-Founder and CEO)