Salesforce Certified Identity and Access Management Practice

What is the main purpose of Refresh Tokens in Salesforce?

1. Can be stored within a client app

2. Can be used repeatedly to gain access, like a password

3. Can expire or be revoked, so the client app has to handle failures

4. Contain user ID, time issued and client ID

The correct answer is: Can be used repeatedly to gain access, like a password

The main purpose of Refresh Tokens in Salesforce is to enable a client application to obtain a new access token without requiring the user to re-authenticate. This facilitates a smoother user experience by allowing the application to maintain a session without frequent interruptions. While the ability to use Refresh Tokens repeatedly seems to relate to convenience, the critical function is to manage access rights over time effectively. While it is true that Refresh Tokens can consistently provide new access tokens, they are not like passwords in the traditional sense. They are temporary tokens that allow an application to refresh its access without prompting the user for credentials again, thus improving security and user experience. The other attributes of Refresh Tokens are important as well. They can indeed expire or be revoked, necessitating error handling by the client application to manage sessions properly. Additionally, they typically contain essential information like user ID and client ID, as well as the issuance time. However, the essence of their purpose lies in how they allow continuous access to user resources without re-entering passwords, distinguishing their function from mere authentication methods.