Laravel API Authentication: Sanctum vs Passport Complete Guide 2024

Modern API development demands a balance between ironclad security and developer velocity. In the Laravel ecosystem, choosing an authentication layer often boils down to two heavyweights: Laravel Sanctum and Laravel Passport. While both are first-party packages, they represent fundamentally different philosophies of API security.

This guide provides a deep-dive comparison, implementation strategies, and a decision framework to help you navigate the 2024–2026 security landscape.

1. Introduction to API Authentication

API authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a client (user, mobile app, or third-party service) making a request. Unlike traditional web apps that use sessions and cookies, APIs are often stateless.

In Laravel, we primarily deal with three types of authentication:

• Cookie-based Sessions: Ideal for first-party SPAs (Single Page Applications) on the same domain.

• API Tokens: Simple strings passed in the Authorization header.

• OAuth2: A complex industry-standard protocol for granular permissions and third-party access.

2. Laravel Sanctum: Implementation Guide

Sanctum is a "featherweight" package designed for SPAs, mobile apps, and simple token-based APIs. It is now the default for most Laravel projects because it avoids the overhead of OAuth2.

Sanctum Token-Based Authentication

Sanctum allows users to generate multiple API tokens for their accounts. These tokens can have "abilities" (scopes) to restrict actions.

// routes/api.php
use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Hash;
Route::post('/login', function (Request $request) {
    $user = User::where('email', $request->email)->first();
    
    if (! $user || ! Hash::check($request->password, $user->password)) {
        return response()->json(['message' => 'Unauthorized'], 401);
    }
    // Creating a token with specific abilities
    $token = $user->createToken('mobile-app', ['server:update'])->plainTextToken;
    return response()->json(['token' => $token]);
});
// Protecting a route
Route::middleware('auth:sanctum')->get('/user', function (Request $request) {
    return $request->user();
});

3. Laravel Passport: OAuth2 Setup

If Sanctum is a scalpel, Passport is a multi-tool. It provides a full OAuth2 server implementation, including Authorization Code, Client Credentials, and Personal Access tokens.

OAuth2 Flows Supported:

1. Authorization Code Grant (with PKCE): For secure web/mobile apps.

2. Client Credentials Grant: For machine-to-machine communication.

3. Password Grant: (Now discouraged in favor of PKCE) for first-party apps.

   # Installation
   composer require laravel/passport
   php artisan migrate
   php artisan passport:install

   Passport Implementation Example

   PHP

   // App\Models\User.php
   use Laravel\Passport\HasApiTokens;
   
   class User extends Authenticatable {
       use HasApiTokens, Notifiable;
   }
   
   // routes/api.php
   Route::middleware('auth:api')->get('/orders', function (Request $request) {
       // Check for specific OAuth scope
       if ($request->user()->tokenCan('place-orders')) {
           // Business logic...
       }
   });
   

   ---

   4. Performance & Security Comparison

   Feature	Laravel Sanctum	Laravel Passport
   Protocol	Simple Token / Cookie	Full OAuth2 Server
   Complexity	Low	High
   Storage	Single table (personal_access_tokens)	Multiple tables (clients, tokens, scopes)
   Performance	Faster (minimal DB overhead)	Slightly slower (due to OAuth overhead)
   Third-Party Auth	No	Yes (Standard OAuth2)
   Statelessness	Optional (can be stateful)	Primarily Stateless

   Security Note on JWT Tokens

   While Sanctum uses simple database-backed tokens, many developers prefer JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for statelessness. Packages like php-open-source-saver/jwt-auth allow you to implement pure JWT in Laravel:

   PHP

   // JWT Token creation example
   $token = auth()->claims(['role' => 'admin'])->attempt($credentials);
   return response()->json(['access_token' => $token]);
   

   ---

   5. Rate Limiting and API Throttling

   In 2026, protecting your API from brute-force and DDoS is non-negotiable. Laravel’s RateLimiter is your first line of defense.

   PHP

   // app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
   use Illuminate\Cache\RateLimiting\Limit;
   use Illuminate\Support\Facades\RateLimiter;
   
   RateLimiter::for('api', function (Request $request) {
       return $request->user()
           ? Limit::perMinute(60)->by($request->user()->id)
           : Limit::perMinute(10)->by($request->ip());
   });
   

   ---

   6. Decision Framework: Choosing Between Them

   Use Laravel Sanctum IF:

   • You are building a Single Page Application (SPA) with React, Vue, or Next.js.

   • You are the sole owner of the mobile app and the API.

   • You want a simple "Personal Access Token" system like GitHub.

   Use Laravel Passport IF:

   • You need to support third-party developers (e.g., "Login with MyService").

   • Your enterprise requires strict compliance with OAuth2 standards.

   • You need complex scopes and granular permission management across many clients.

   ---

   7. Security Best Practices

   • Always use HTTPS: Tokens are useless if intercepted via MITM attacks.

   • Rotate Keys: Periodically run passport:keys or rotate Sanctum tokens.

   • Token Expirations: Never issue tokens that "never expire" in production.

   • Scrub Payloads: Use Laravel Resources to ensure sensitive user data (like passwords or internal IDs) isn't leaked in the API response.

   ---

   8. Monitoring and Maintenance

   • Laravel Pulse: Use the Pulse dashboard to track which API routes are slow or consuming the most resources.

   • Sentry: Track API-specific errors and performance bottlenecks in real-time.

   • Versioning: Always version your API (e.g., /api/v1/) to prevent breaking changes when updating your auth logic.

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   About the Author: Muhammad Ajmal is an API Development Specialist with 5+ years of experience building secure RESTful APIs. He specializes in performance optimization and enterprise-grade security architecture in the Laravel ecosystem.