Token endpoint - Amazon Cognito
POST /oauth2/token

Token endpoint

Generate a POST request to the /oauth2/token endpoint to get JSON web tokens (JWTs) for a user or service. When you add a domain to your user pool, Amazon Cognito activates an OAuth 2.0 token endpoint that's dedicated to your user pool. In a user-based model, your app sends authorization codes to your token endpoint in exchange for ID, access, and refresh tokens. In a machine-to-machine model, you app sends a client secret to your token endpoint in exchange for access tokens.

To retrieve information about a user from their access token, you can pass it to your UserInfo endpoint, or to a GetUser API request.

POST /oauth2/token

The /oauth2/token endpoint only supports HTTPS POST. Your app makes requests to this endpoint directly, not through the user's browser.

The token endpoint supports client_secret_basic and client_secret_post authentication. For more information from the OpenID Connect specification, see Client Authentication. For more information about the token endpoint from the OpenID Connect specification, see Token Endpoint.

Request parameters in header

Authorization

If the client was issued a secret, the client can pass its client_id and client_secret in the authorization header as client_secret_basic HTTP authorization. You can also include the client_id and client_secret in the request body as client_secret_post authorization.

The authorization header string is Basic Base64Encode(client_id:client_secret). The following example is an authorization header for app client djc98u3jiedmi283eu928 with client secret abcdef01234567890, using the Base64-encoded version of the string djc98u3jiedmi283eu928:abcdef01234567890.

Authorization: Basic ZGpjOTh1M2ppZWRtaTI4M2V1OTI4OmFiY2RlZjAxMjM0NTY3ODkw
Content-Type

Must always be 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded'.

Request parameters in body

grant_type

Grant type.

Must be authorization_code or refresh_token or client_credentials. You can request an access token for a custom scope from the token endpoint when, in the app client, the requested scope is enabled, you have configured a client secret, and you have allowed client_credentials grants.

Required.

client_id

The ID of an app client in your user pool. You must specify the same app client that authenticated your user.

Required if the client is public and does not have a secret, or with client_secret if you want to use client_secret_post authorization.

client_secret

The client secret for the app client that authenticated your user. Required if your app client has a client secret and you did not send an Authorization header.

scope

Can be a combination of any custom scopes associated with an app client. Any scope that you request must be activated for the app client, or Amazon Cognito will ignore it. If the client doesn't request any scopes, the authentication server uses all custom scopes associated with the client.

Optional. Only used if the grant_type is client_credentials.

redirect_uri

Must be the same redirect_uri that was used to get authorization_code in /oauth2/authorize.

Required only if grant_type is authorization_code.

refresh_token

To generate new access and ID tokens for a user's session, set the value of a refresh_token parameter in your /oauth2/token request to a previously-issued refresh token from the same app client.

code

Required if grant_type is authorization_code.

code_verifier

The proof key.

Required if grant_type is authorization_code and the authorization code was requested with PKCE.

Examples requests with positive responses

Exchanging an authorization code for tokens

Sample request

POST https://mydomain.auth.us-east-1.amazoncognito.com/oauth2/token&
                            Content-Type='application/x-www-form-urlencoded'&
                            Authorization=Basic ZGpjOTh1M2ppZWRtaTI4M2V1OTI4OmFiY2RlZjAxMjM0NTY3ODkw
                            
                            grant_type=authorization_code&
                            client_id=1example23456789&
                            code=AUTHORIZATION_CODE&
                            redirect_uri=com.myclientapp://myclient/redirect

Sample response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
                        
                           Content-Type: application/json
                           
                           { 
                            "access_token":"eyJra1example", 
                            "id_token":"eyJra2example",
                            "refresh_token":"eyJj3example",
                            "token_type":"Bearer", 
                            "expires_in":3600
                           }
Note

The token endpoint returns refresh_token only when the grant_type is authorization_code.

Exchanging client credentials for an access token

Sample request

POST https://mydomain.auth.us-east-1.amazoncognito.com/oauth2/token >
                            Content-Type='application/x-www-form-urlencoded'&
                            Authorization=Basic ZGpjOTh1M2ppZWRtaTI4M2V1OTI4OmFiY2RlZjAxMjM0NTY3ODkw
                            
                            grant_type=client_credentials&
                            client_id=1example23456789&
                            scope={resourceServerIdentifier1}/{scope1} {resourceServerIdentifier2}/{scope2}

Sample response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
                            Content-Type: application/json
                            
                            {
                            "access_token":"eyJra1example", 
                            "token_type":"Bearer", 
                            "expires_in":3600
                            }

Exchanging an authorization code grant with PKCE for tokens

Sample request

POST https://mydomain.auth.us-east-1.amazoncognito.com/oauth2/token
                                Content-Type='application/x-www-form-urlencoded'&
                                Authorization=Basic ZGpjOTh1M2ppZWRtaTI4M2V1OTI4OmFiY2RlZjAxMjM0NTY3ODkw
                                
                                grant_type=authorization_code&
                                client_id=1example23456789&
                                code=AUTHORIZATION_CODE&
                                code_verifier=CODE_VERIFIER&
                                redirect_uri=com.myclientapp://myclient/redirect

Sample response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
                            Content-Type: application/json
                            
                            {
                            "access_token":"eyJra1example", 
                            "id_token":"eyJra2example",
                            "refresh_token":"eyJj3example",
                            "token_type":"Bearer", 
                            "expires_in":3600
                            }
Note

The token endpoint returns refresh_token only when the grant_type is authorization_code.

Exchanging a refresh token for tokens

Sample request

POST https://mydomain.auth.us-east-1.amazoncognito.com/oauth2/token >
                           Content-Type='application/x-www-form-urlencoded'&
                           Authorization=Basic ZGpjOTh1M2ppZWRtaTI4M2V1OTI4OmFiY2RlZjAxMjM0NTY3ODkw
                           
                           grant_type=refresh_token&
                           client_id=1example23456789&
                           refresh_token=eyJj3example

Sample response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
                           Content-Type: application/json
                           
                           {
                           "access_token":"eyJra1example", 
                           "id_token":"eyJra2example",
                           "token_type":"Bearer", 
                           "expires_in":3600
                                 }
Note

The token endpoint returns refresh_token only when the grant_type is authorization_code.

Examples of negative responses

Sample error response

HTTP/1.1 400 Bad Request
                           Content-Type: application/json;charset=UTF-8
                           
                           {
                           "error":"invalid_request|invalid_client|invalid_grant|unauthorized_client|unsupported_grant_type"
                           }
invalid_request

The request is missing a required parameter, includes an unsupported parameter value (other than unsupported_grant_type), or is otherwise malformed. For example, grant_type is refresh_token but refresh_token is not included.

invalid_client

Client authentication failed. For example, when the client includes client_id and client_secret in the authorization header, but there's no such client with that client_id and client_secret.

invalid_grant

Refresh token has been revoked.

Authorization code has been consumed already or does not exist.

App client doesn't have read access to all attributes in the requested scope. For example, your app requests the email scope and your app client can read the email attribute, but not email_verified.

unauthorized_client

Client is not allowed for code grant flow or for refreshing tokens.

unsupported_grant_type

Returned if grant_type is anything other than authorization_code or refresh_token or client_credentials.