Subject: [woes] Background on JSON Web Tokens (JWTs)

From: Mike Jones <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:45:32 +0000

In preparations for our discussions in Prague, I wanted to give some context for the JSON Web Token (JWT)<http://self-issued.info/docs/draft-jones-json-web-token.html> spec.  JWT (pronounced like the English word "jot") is a simple, compact JSON based token format designed for use with OAuth, OpenID, and other emerging specifications.  We are explicitly not proposing an equivalent to CMS/PKCS7 - just a simple compact token representation and similarly simple and compact JSON-based signing and encryption functionality.

A new draft of the JWT spec where the token format is cleanly separated from the signing algorithms, and where an encryption capability is also added, will be published before Prague.

                                                                Best wishes,

                                                                -- Mike