What is authorization?

In computing systems, authorization is the process of determining which permissions a person or system is supposed to have. In multi-user computer systems, a system administrator defines which users are allowed access to the system, as well as which privileges of use (e.g., access to which file directories, hours of access, amount of allocated storage space) they are eligible for.

Assuming that someone has logged into a computer operating system or application, the system or application may want to identify what resources that person can be given during that particular session. Thus, authorization is sometimes seen as both the preliminary setting of permissions by a system administrator, and the actual checking of the permission values that have been set up when a user is obtaining access. Authorization is usually preceded by authentication.

Also see:

• At IU, what is CAS?
• What is authentication?