> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fastgen.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

Authentication is a crucial aspect of application security, particularly for applications that handle sensitive data. Fastgen provides robust authentication options to ensure secure access to your APIs and manage user authentication efficiently.

## Authentication Methods

Fastgen offers three primary methods to safeguard your API endpoints:

### Public Access

* **Unrestricted Access**: The Public option allows open access to the API endpoint, making it accessible to anyone on the internet. This setting is suitable for endpoints that do not contain sensitive information.

### API Token Protection

* **Secured by API Tokens**: Secure your endpoints by requiring pre-defined API tokens. Requests must include one of your API tokens in the `Authorization` header, formatted as `Authorization: Bearer <token>`.
* [Learn More about API & Integration Tokens](/authentication/integration-tokens)

### User Authentication

* **Access for Authenticated Users**: This option ensures that only users with valid login credentials can access the endpoint. Currently, the 'Default User' group is the only available option, which permits access to logged-in users with an active session from your project domain.

## User Management

Fastgen's User Management feature allows you to seamlessly manage end-user authentication for your projects.

* **Hosted User Management**: Quickly set up and manage end-user authentication with our comprehensive user management hub.
* **Built-in Authentication Endpoints**: Utilize built-in API endpoints for user account management, two-factor authentication setup, password resets, and more, ensuring secure access to your application.
* [Explore the User Management Hub](/getting-started/user-management)

## Authentication API

We provide a suite of API routes specifically designed for authentication purposes. These routes cover everything from user sign-up to session management.

* [**Email-based Sign Up/In**](/authentication/api/emailPassword): Enable users to sign up or sign in using their email addresses.
* [**Email Verification**](/authentication/api/emailVerification): Verify user email addresses as part of the authentication process.
* [**Session Renewal**](/authentication/api/sessionRefresh): Manage and renew user sessions to maintain continuous authentication.
* [**User Identity**](/authentication/api/userIdentity): Retrieve user identity information.
* [**Logout**](/authentication/api/logout): Allow users to securely log out of the application.

***

Fastgen's authentication capabilities are designed to provide maximum security while offering flexibility to suit various project requirements. Explore our subpages for detailed documentation on each aspect of authentication within Fastgen.