Can you explain how authorization works in ASP.NET and how it differs from authentication?

Authentication and authorization are two different security stages in ASP.NET.

Authentication is the process of verifying a user's identity, for example, checking login and password. In ASP.NET, this can be implemented through forms authentication, JWT, OAuth, etc. After successful authentication, the user is issued a token or cookies confirming their identity.

Authorization is the process of determining what actions or resources are accessible to the authenticated user. In ASP.NET, authorization is usually implemented through attributes, for example [Authorize], which restrict access to controllers or methods based on roles or policies.

Example:

[Authorize(Roles = "Admin")]
public IActionResult AdminPanel()
{
    return View();
}

Here, the method is accessible only to users with the "Admin" role.

In summary:

• Authentication — who are you?
• Authorization — what are you allowed to do?