JumpCloud vs OAuth2: What are the differences?

Introduction:

JumpCloud and OAuth2 are both authentication and authorization solutions widely used in the industry. However, they serve different purposes and have distinct functionalities.

1. API vs Identity Provider: JumpCloud is an Identity Provider that offers a comprehensive cloud directory service for user management, while OAuth2 is an authorization framework that allows third-party applications to obtain limited access to an HTTP service.

2. Access Control vs Authorization: JumpCloud focuses on access control through centralized user and device management, while OAuth2 is specifically designed for authorization, allowing a user to grant permissions to third-party applications without sharing their credentials.

3. Protocol vs Service: OAuth2 is a protocol that enables secure authorization through a standard framework, while JumpCloud is a service that provides centralized access control and identity management capabilities.

4. User vs Application Perspective: JumpCloud is more user-centric, providing a seamless user experience for accessing resources, while OAuth2 is more application-centric, enabling secure delegated access to resources on behalf of the user.

5. Single Sign-On vs Delegated Access: JumpCloud offers Single Sign-On (SSO) functionality to streamline user authentication across multiple applications, while OAuth2 facilitates delegated access control by allowing users to authorize third-party applications to access specific resources.

6. User Management vs Authorization Grants: JumpCloud includes extensive user management features such as user provisioning and group management, while OAuth2 focuses on authorization grants like authorization code, implicit, client credentials, and resource owner password credentials.

In Summary, JumpCloud and OAuth2 have distinct functionalities - JumpCloud provides centralized user management and access control, while OAuth2 is an authorization framework for secure delegated access to resources.