---
kind: change
title: Create an OAuth authorization for an app
created_at: 2012-12-06
author_name: pengwynn
---

The [Authorizations API][oauth-api] is an easy way to create an OAuth
authorization using Basic Auth. Just POST your desired scopes and optional
note and you get a token back:

<pre class='terminal'>
    curl -u pengwynn -d '{"scopes": ["user", "gist"]}' \
         https://api.github.com/authorizations
</pre>

This call creates a token for the authenticating user tied to a special "API"
OAuth application.

We now support creating tokens for _your own OAuth application_ by passing your
twenty character `client_id` and forty character `client_secret` as found in
the settings page for your OAuth application.


<pre class='terminal'>
    curl -u pengwynn -d '{ \
                          "scopes": ["user", "gist"], \
                          "client_id": "abcdeabcdeabcdeabcdeabcde" \
                          "client_secret": "abcdeabcdeabcdeabcdeabcdeabcdeabcdeabcdeabcde" \
                         }' \ '
            https://api.github.com/authorizations
</pre>

No more implementing the [web flow][web-flow] just to get a token tied to your
app's rate limit.

[oauth-api]: /v3/oauth/#oauth-authorizations-api
[web-flow]: /v3/oauth/#web-application-flow