Building CLI tools or desktop applications using OAuth involves capturing the authorization code without a public server. A temporary localhost server provides a solution for this challenge. Typically, the OAuth 2.0 flow redirects users to an authorization server, which returns an authorization code to a public URL. For local applications, the redirect points to a localhost address, where a server captures the code from query parameters. This method is endorsed by OAuth 2.0 standards and utilized in various tools and libraries.
When building CLI tools or desktop applications that integrate with OAuth providers, the challenge arises in capturing the authorization code without a public-facing server.
In a typical OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow, your application redirects users to an authorization server, which then sends back an authorization code to a public URL.
For CLI tools and desktop apps, we use a localhost URL to capture the OAuth redirect, specifically http://localhost:3000/callback, where a temporary server can catch the authorization code.
This localhost approach is supported by OAuth 2.0 for Native Apps and utilized by tools like the GitHub CLI and Google's OAuth libraries.
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