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updatedAt: 2026-03-30T09:26:29.000Z
agentTools:
  projectIndex: https://developers.bazaarvoice.com/v1.0-PrivacyAPI/llms.txt
---

# OAuth2 : 3-Legged

The Bazaarvoice Privacy API provides 2-legged and 3-legged methods for **OAuth2** authentication. Use the **[2-legged](https://developers.bazaarvoice.com/v1.0-PrivacyAPI/docs/oauth2-2-legged)** workflow if you want to authenticate your application without a Bazaarvoice Portal user involved in supplying credentials. Use the **[3-legged workflow](https://developers.bazaarvoice.com/v1.0-PrivacyAPI/docs/oauth2-3-legged)** if you want to authenticate your application based on a Bazaarvoice Portal user supplying credentials. Due to its automation advantages, Bazaarvoice expects that the 2-legged workflow best fits the majority of client use cases for the Privacy API.

# Introduction

This tutorial explains how to use OAuth2 with the Bazaarvoice Privacy API using a three-legged workflow, which requires a Bazaarvoice Portal user to supply credentials during the process. If you need to automate your application without a user supplying credentials, refer to the [2-legged OAuth2 workflow](https://developers.bazaarvoice.com/v1.0-PrivacyAPI/docs/oauth2-2-legged).

> 👍 Social Commerce client's request (via Portal Privacy App or Privacy API 3-legged, Privacy API 2-legged) will also be processed by Bazaarvoice Privacy API.

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Bazaarvoice has implemented **[3-legged OAuth2](https://developers.bazaarvoice.com/v1.0-PrivacyAPI/reference/post_api-v1-oauth2-login)**, an open standard for access delegation. This style of OAuth is referred to as “3-legged” because it consists of three roles:

* ***The Client Application***: This is an application that would like to access data or interact with a Bazaarvoice service on behalf of a user.
* ***The OAuth2 API***: A Bazaarvoice service that implements the OAuth2 standard and intermediates between the User and Client Application.
* ***The User***: This is the person who is using the Client Application. They can grant or deny the Client Application access to their data.

**3-legged OAuth2** offers certain advantages including:

●	The User’s credentials are never exposed to the Client Application.\
●	The Client Application can be used by an arbitrary number of users.\
●	As a well-known open standard, OAuth2 is easier to implement than a custom solution.

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