How to understand OAuth in 5 steps

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If your product connects with platforms like DocuSign, Google, or Notion on behalf of your users, OAuth is the protocol that makes secure integrations possible.

OAuth (Open Authorization) is a standard that allows one app to access limited data from another app on behalf of a user—without sharing passwords. It’s widely used to enable secure connections between applications, making it safer and easier for users to grant and manage access.

Here's how it works in 5 steps.

Step 1: The User Wants to Connect Two Apps

A user decides they want one app to work with another.

For example, they might want your app to send a document through DocuSign or get data from another tool.

Step 2: The App Asks for Permission

The app that wants to connect asks the other app for permission to access the user’s account.

Instead of asking for a password, it gets a temporary pass (called a token) to prove who it is.

Step 3: The User Approves the Connection

The app sends the user to the other app’s login page.

The user logs in and says, “Yes, this app can use my account.” They also choose what the app allows them to do.

Step 4: The App Gets Access

The app returns the temporary pass to the other app and asks for a longer-term access pass.

The longer-term pass allows the app to use the account without asking the user to log in every time.

Step 5: The App Does What the User Approved

The app uses the access pass to do things the user approved, like sending documents or pulling data.

The user can review or cancel these permissions anytime in the other app.

OAuth is how apps connect securely without sharing passwords. For product leaders, it’s important to understand how this works because it makes integrations safer and smoother for users.

And that’s it! What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to share them. For more insights like this, subscribe to my newsletter.