Machine-2-Machine (M2M) authentication

M2M authentication secures interactions between software systems that operate without human intervention. This authentication method enables AI agents, apps, automation tools, and workflows to interact with your API securely.

Your API provides essential data for M2M interactions. External systems require secure authentication to access this data through your application’s API.

Common M2M use cases include:

• API integration with third-party services (CRM systems, analytics platforms, payment providers)
• Scheduled services that automatically sync data with your API
• Automated workflows that update external systems

Scalekit provides an authentication layer for your API, requiring all downstream machines (AI agents, third-party services) to authenticate before consuming your API.

How M2M authentication works

The following example demonstrates how to implement M2M authentication for a tasks API that enables customer Slack automations to post weekly reminders:

1. Authenticate with the Scalekit API using your API credentials from your Scalekit environment.
2. Create a client ID and client secret to identify API consumers through your customer interface.
3. Your customer’s application authenticates with your Scalekit environment using these credentials to obtain an access token.
4. The customer’s application uses this token to request data from your tasks API.
5. Your application verifies the access token using your Scalekit environment’s JSON Web Key Set (JWKS) before processing the request.

Benefits of M2M Authentication

• Security: Eliminates the need to share user credentials between services
• Auditability: Each service has its own identity, making it easier to track and audit API usage
• Scalability: Services can be easily added or removed without affecting other parts of the system
• Granular Control: Fine-grained access control can be implemented at the service level