# OAuth Access Tokens

OAuth Access Tokens are **short-lived** (they expire in 24 hours) and they are **tied to a specific user's set of permissions**.

CARTO APIs are securitized by [OAuth 2.0](https://auth0.com/docs/authenticate/protocols/oauth), using an OAuth Access Token you'll be able to do operations and call our APIs on behalf of a given user, but you're expected to have a mechanism to renew this allowance.

### How to get an OAuth Access Token

To get an OAuth Access Token, you need to create and use an [OAuth Client](https://docs.carto.com/carto-for-developers/key-concepts/authentication-methods/applications)


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