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Long-lived credential used to obtain new access tokens; must be protected and rotated.

Definition

Refresh tokens are used to mint new short-lived access tokens. They should be stored securely, bound to a client/device when possible, and rotated on use with revocation support.

In plain English Long-lived credential used to obtain new access tokens; must be protected and rotated.

Why this matters

Why it matters: Compromised refresh tokens enable long-term account access; rotation and revocation reduce impact.

Example

Example: Implement refresh token rotation and detect reuse to identify theft and terminate sessions.