How is authentication typically implemented in APIs managed by MuleSoft?

Authentication in APIs managed by MuleSoft is primarily implemented using OAuth 2.0 or Basic Authentication. OAuth 2.0 is widely recognized for its robust security features and is designed to work well in scenarios where third-party apps need to access a user's data without exposing their credentials. This protocol authorizes access through tokens, which enhances security and can limit the scope of permissions.

On the other hand, Basic Authentication is a simpler form of authentication that involves sending user credentials as a base64-encoded string. While not as secure as OAuth 2.0, it can be useful for straightforward scenarios or internal applications where sophisticated authorization mechanisms are unnecessary.

Combining these two methods provides flexibility in API security, allowing developers to choose the most appropriate approach for their application’s needs and use cases.

While other options like JWT tokens, API keys, and SAML Assertion have their use cases, they are not as commonly implemented for general API authentication in the context of MuleSoft compared to OAuth 2.0 and Basic Authentication.