How do you parse a JWT token in Python?

JSON Web Tokens (JWT) is a JSON-encoded representation of a claim or claims that can be transferred between two parties . Though it’s a very popular technology, JWT authentication comes with its share of controversy. Some say you should never use it. Others say JWT authentication is amazing.

The library PyJWT has an option to decode a JWT without verification : Without this option, the decode function does not only decode the token but also verifies the signature and you would have to provide the matching key. And that’s of course the recommended way.

JWT, or JSON Web Token, is an open standard used to share security information between two parties — a client and a server . Each JWT contains encoded JSON objects, including a set of claims. JWTs are signed using a cryptographic algorithm to ensure that the claims cannot be altered after the token is issued.