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Sessions API

Okta uses a cookie-based authentication mechanism to maintain a user's authentication Session across web requests. The Okta Sessions API provides operations to create and manage authentication Sessions for users in your Okta organization.

Note: Some browsers block third-party cookies by default, which disrupts Okta functionality in certain flows. See FAQ: How Blocked Third Party Cookies Can Potentially Impact Your Okta Environment (opens new window).

Note: The Sessions API doesn't support direct authentication. Direct authentication is supported through the Authentication API or through OIDC using the Resource Owner Password flow.

Okta uses an HTTP session cookie to provide access to your Okta organization and applications across web requests for an interactive user agent such as a web browser. A session cookie has an expiration configurable by an administrator for the organization and is valid until the cookie expires or the user closes the Session (logout) or browser application.

Session token

A session token is a one-time bearer token that provides proof of authentication and may be redeemed for an interactive SSO session in Okta in a user agent. Session tokens can only be used once to establish a Session for a user and are revoked when the token expires.

Okta provides a very rich Authentication API to validate a user's primary credentials and secondary MFA factor. A session token is returned after successful authentication, which can be later exchanged for a session cookie that uses one of the following flows:

Note: Session tokens are secrets and should be protected at rest and during transit. A session token for a user is equivalent to having the user's actual credentials.

Get started

Explore the Sessions API: Run in Postman (opens new window)

Session operations

Create Session with a session token

POST /api/v1/sessions

Creates a new Session for a user with a valid session token. Use this API if, for example, you want to set the session cookie yourself instead of allowing Okta to set it, or you want to hold the Session ID to delete a Session through the API instead of visiting the logout URL.

Don't use this API unless you need a Session id. Instead, use one of the following flows to obtain a SSO session with a sessionToken:

Note: This operation can be performed anonymously without an API token.

Request parameters
Parameter Description Param Type DataType Required Default
additionalFields Optional Session properties Query String (comma-separated values) FALSE
sessionToken The session token obtained through the Authentication API Body String TRUE
Response parameters

The response contains the new Session for the user if the sessionToken is valid.

If an invalid sessionToken is provided, a 401 Unauthorized status code is returned.

Request example
curl -v -X POST \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (${systemInformation}) ${platform} (${platformDetails}) ${extensions}" \
-d '{
  "sessionToken": "00HiohZYpJgMSHwmL9TQy7RRzuY-q9soKp1SPmYYow"
}' "https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions"
Response example
{
  "id": "101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
  "login": "user@example.com",
  "userId": "00ubgaSARVOQDIOXMORI",
  "expiresAt": "2015-08-30T18:41:35.818Z",
  "status": "ACTIVE",
  "lastPasswordVerification": "2015-08-30T18:41:35.818Z",
  "lastFactorVerification": null,
  "amr": [
    "pwd"
  ],
  "idp": {
    "id": "00oi5cpnylv792IcF0g3",
    "type": "OKTA"
  },
  "mfaActive": false,
  "_links": {
    "self": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "GET",
          "DELETE"
        ]
      }
    },
    "refresh": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ/lifecycle/refresh",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "POST"
        ]
      }
    },
    "user": {
      "name": "Isaac Brock",
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/users/00uit00ZK6ELuzPoD0g3",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "GET"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Get Session

GET /api/v1/sessions/${sessionId}

Gets Session information for a given Session ID

Note: This is an administrator operation and requires an API token.

Request example
curl -v -X GET \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (${systemInformation}) ${platform} (${platformDetails}) ${extensions}" \
-H "Authorization: SSWS ${api_token}" \
"https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ"
Response example

If the Session is valid, a Session object is returned.

If the Session is invalid, a 404 Not Found response is returned.

{
  "id": "101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
  "login": "user@example.com",
  "userId": "00u0abcdefGHIJKLMNOP",
  "status": "ACTIVE",
  "expiresAt": "2016-01-03T09:13:17.000Z",
  "lastPasswordVerification": "2016-01-03T07:02:00.000Z",
  "lastFactorVerification": null,
  "amr": [
    "pwd"
  ],
  "idp": {
    "id": "01a2bcdef3GHIJKLMNOP",
    "type": "OKTA"
  },
  "mfaActive": true,
  "_links": {
    "refresh": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ/lifecycle/refresh",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "POST"
        ]
      }
    },
    "self": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
           "GET",
           "DELETE"
        ]
      }
    },
    "user": {
      "name": "Isaac Brock",
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/users/00uit00ZK6ELuzPoD0g3",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "GET"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Extend Session

PUT /api/v1/sessions/${sessionId}

Deprecated

Extends the lifetime of a user's Session

Note: This endpoint is deprecated. Use the Refresh Session API instead.

Note: This is an administrator operation and requires an API token.

Request parameters
Parameter Description Param Type DataType Required Default
id id of a valid Session URL String TRUE
Response parameters

The response contains the extended Session with an updated expiresAt timestamp for the user if the id is valid.

If the Session is invalid, a 404 Not Found response is returned.

Request example
curl -v -X PUT \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (${systemInformation}) ${platform} (${platformDetails}) ${extensions}" \
-H "Authorization: SSWS ${api_token}" \
"https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ"
Response example
{
  "id": "101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
  "login": "user@example.com",
  "userId": "00ubgaSARVOQDIOXMORI",
  "expiresAt": "2015-08-30T18:41:35.818Z",
  "status": "ACTIVE",
  "lastPasswordVerification": "2015-08-30T18:41:35.818Z",
  "lastFactorVerification": null,
  "amr": [
    "pwd"
  ],
  "idp": {
    "id": "00oi5cpnylv792IcF0g3",
    "type": "OKTA"
  },
  "mfaActive": false,
  "_links": {
    "self": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "GET",
          "DELETE"
        ]
      }
    },
    "refresh": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ/lifecycle/refresh",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "POST"
        ]
      }
    },
    "user": {
      "name": "Isaac Brock",
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/users/00uit00ZK6ELuzPoD0g3",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "GET"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Refresh Session

Refreshes an existing Session using the id for that Session. (This is equivalent to the deprecated Extend Session operation).

Note: This is an administrator operation and requires an API token.

POST /api/v1/sessions/${sessionId}/lifecycle/refresh

Request parameters
Parameter Description Param Type DataType Required Default
id id of a valid Session URL String TRUE
Response parameters

The response contains the refreshed Session with an updated expiresAt timestamp for the user if the id is valid.

If the Session is invalid, a 404 Not Found response is returned.

Request example
curl -v -X POST \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (${systemInformation}) ${platform} (${platformDetails}) ${extensions}" \
-H "Authorization: SSWS ${api_token}" \
"https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ/lifecycle/refresh"
Response example
{
  "id": "101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
  "login": "user@example.com",
  "userId": "00ubgaSARVOQDIOXMORI",
  "expiresAt": "2015-08-30T18:41:35.818Z",
  "status": "ACTIVE",
  "lastPasswordVerification": "2015-08-30T18:41:35.818Z",
  "lastFactorVerification": null,
  "amr": [
    "pwd"
  ],
  "idp": {
    "id": "00oi5cpnylv792IcF0g3",
    "type": "OKTA"
  },
  "mfaActive": false,
  "_links": {
    "self": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "GET",
          "DELETE"
        ]
      }
    },
    "refresh": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ/lifecycle/refresh",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "POST"
        ]
      }
    },
    "user": {
      "name": "Isaac Brock",
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/users/00uit00ZK6ELuzPoD0g3",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "GET"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Close Session

DELETE /api/v1/sessions/${sessionId}

Closes a user's Session (logout)

Note: This is an administrator operation and requires an API token.

Request parameters
Parameter Description Param Type DataType Required Default
id id of a valid Session URL String TRUE
Response parameters

If the Session is successfully closed, a 204 No Content response is returned.

If the Session is invalid, a 404 Not Found response is returned.

Request example
curl -v -X DELETE \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (${systemInformation}) ${platform} (${platformDetails}) ${extensions}" \
-H "Authorization: SSWS ${api_token}" \
"https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ"
Response example
HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

Get current Session

GET /api/v1/sessions/me

CORS

Gets Session information for the current user. Use this method in a browser-based application to determine if the user is signed in.

Note: This operation requires a session cookie for the user. An API token isn't allowed for this operation.

Request example
curl -v -X GET \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (${systemInformation}) ${platform} (${platformDetails}) ${extensions}" \
-H "Cookie: ${okta_session_cookie}" \
"https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/me"
Response example

If the Session is valid, a Session object is returned.

If the Session is invalid, a 404 Not Found response is returned.

{
    "id": "101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
    "login": "user@example.com",
    "userId": "00u0abcdefGHIJKLMNOP",
    "status": "ACTIVE",
    "createdAt": "2016-01-03T07:02:00.000Z",
    "expiresAt": "2016-01-03T09:13:17.000Z",
    "lastPasswordVerification": "2016-01-03T07:02:00.000Z",
    "lastFactorVerification": null,
    "amr": [
        "pwd"
    ],
    "idp": {
        "id": "01a2bcdef3GHIJKLMNOP",
        "type": "OKTA"
    },
    "mfaActive": true,
    "_links": {
        "refresh": {
            "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/me/lifecycle/refresh",
            "hints": {
                "allow": [
                    "POST"
                ]
            }
        },
        "self": {
            "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/me",
            "hints": {
                "allow": [
                    "GET",
                    "DELETE"
                ]
            }
        },
        "user": {
            "name": "Isaac Brock",
            "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/users/me",
            "hints": {
                "allow": [
                    "GET"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

Refresh current Session

Refreshes the Session for the current user

Note: This operation requires a session cookie for the user. An API token isn't allowed for this operation.

POST /api/v1/sessions/me/lifecycle/refresh

CORS
Request example
curl -v -X POST \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (${systemInformation}) ${platform} (${platformDetails}) ${extensions}" \
-H "Cookie: ${okta_session_cookie}" \
"https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/me/lifecycle/refresh"
Response example

If the Session is valid, a Session object is returned.

If the Session is invalid, a 404 Not Found response is returned.

{
    "id": "101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
    "login": "user@example.com",
    "userId": "00u0abcdefGHIJKLMNOP",
    "status": "ACTIVE",
    "createdAt": "2016-01-03T07:02:00.000Z",
    "expiresAt": "2016-01-03T09:13:17.000Z",
    "lastPasswordVerification": "2016-01-03T07:02:00.000Z",
    "lastFactorVerification": null,
    "amr": [
        "pwd"
    ],
    "idp": {
        "id": "01a2bcdef3GHIJKLMNOP",
        "type": "OKTA"
    },
    "mfaActive": true,
    "_links": {
        "refresh": {
            "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/me/lifecycle/refresh",
            "hints": {
                "allow": [
                    "POST"
                ]
            }
        },
        "self": {
            "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/me",
            "hints": {
                "allow": [
                    "GET",
                    "DELETE"
                ]
            }
        },
        "user": {
            "name": "Isaac Brock",
            "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/users/me",
            "hints": {
                "allow": [
                    "GET"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

Option: Use the HTTP Header Prefer

Okta now supports the HTTP Header Prefer (opens new window) in the Sessions API for refreshing Sessions. You can extend the Session lifetime, but skip any processing work that is related to building the response body.

Request example
curl -v -X POST \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (${systemInformation}) ${platform} (${platformDetails}) ${extensions}" \
-H "Prefer: return=minimal" \
-H "Authorization: SSWS ${api_token}" \
"https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/me/refresh"

Note: me can also be an ID.

Response example
HTTP/1.1 204 No Content
Preference-Applied: return=minimal

Close current Session

Closes the Session for the user who is currently signed in. Use this method in a browser-based application to sign out a user.

Note: This operation requires a session cookie for the user. An API token isn't allowed for this operation.

DELETE /api/v1/sessions/me

CORS
Request example
curl -v -X DELETE \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (${systemInformation}) ${platform} (${platformDetails}) ${extensions}" \
-H "Cookie: ${okta_session_cookie}" \
"https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/me"
Response example

If the Session is successfully closed, a 204 No Content response is returned.

If the Session is invalid, a 404 Not Found response is returned.

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

Session object

Example

{
  "id": "101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
  "login": "user@example.com",
  "userId": "00ubgaSARVOQDIOXMORI",
  "expiresAt": "2015-08-30T18:41:35.818Z",
  "status": "ACTIVE",
  "lastPasswordVerification": "2015-08-30T18:41:35.818Z",
  "lastFactorVerification": "2015-08-30T18:41:35.818Z",
  "amr": [
    "pwd",
    "otp",
    "mfa"
  ],
  "idp": {
    "id": "00oi5cpnylv792IcF0g3",
    "type": "OKTA"
  },
  "mfaActive": true,
  "_links": {
    "self": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "GET",
          "DELETE"
        ]
      }
    },
    "refresh": {
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/sessions/101W_juydrDRByB7fUdRyE2JQ/lifecycle/refresh",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "POST"
        ]
      }
    },
    "user": {
      "name": "Isaac Brock",
      "href": "https://{yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/users/00uit00ZK6ELuzPoD0g3",
      "hints": {
        "allow": [
          "GET"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Session properties

Sessions have the following properties:

Property Description DataType Nullable Unique Readonly
id A unique key for the Session String FALSE TRUE TRUE
login A unique identifier for the user (username) String FALSE TRUE TRUE
userId A unique key for the user String FALSE TRUE TRUE
expiresAt A timestamp when the Session expires Date FALSE TRUE TRUE
status Current status of the Session ACTIVE, MFA_REQUIRED, or MFA_ENROLL FALSE TRUE TRUE
lastPasswordVerification A timestamp when the user last performs the primary or step-up authentication with a password Date TRUE TRUE TRUE
lastFactorVerification A timestamp when user last performs multifactor authentication Date TRUE TRUE TRUE
amr Authentication method reference AMR object FALSE FALSE TRUE
idp The Identity Provider that is used to authenticate the user IDP object FALSE FALSE TRUE
mfaActive Indicates whether the user has enrolled an MFA factor Boolean FALSE FALSE TRUE

Note: The mfaActive parameter is a Deprecated feature. Use the lastFactorVerification attribute in conjunction with amr to understand if the user has performed MFA for the current Session. Use the Factors API to query the factor enrollment status for a given user.

Optional Session properties

The Create Session operation can optionally return the following properties when requested.

Property Description
cookieToken Another one-time token that is used to obtain a session cookie by visiting either an application's embed link or a Session redirect URL.
cookieTokenUrl The URL for a transparent 1x1 pixel image that contains a one-time session token that, when visited, sets the session cookie in your browser for your organization.

Note: The cookieToken is a Deprecated property. Instead, use the Authentication API that supports the full user authentication pipeline and produces a sessionToken that you can use in this API.

Note: The cookieTokenUrl is a Deprecated property, because modern browsers block cookies that are set through embedding images from another origin (cross-domain).

Session status

The following values are defined for the status of a Session:

  • ACTIVE: The Session is established and fully validated.
  • MFA_REQUIRED: The Session is established, but requires second factor verification.
  • MFA_ENROLL: The Session is established, but the user needs to enroll in a second factor.

AMR object

The authentication methods reference (opens new window) ("AMR") specifies which authentication methods are used to establish the Session. The value is a JSON array with one or more of the following values:

Note: For inline hook requests, use the inline hook value for the amr object.

Value Inline hook value Description Example
pwd PASSWORD Password authentication Standard password-based login
swk POP_SOFTWARE_KEY Proof-of-possession (PoP) of a software key Okta Verify with Push
hwk POP_HARDWARE_KEY Proof-of-possession (PoP) of a hardware key Yubikey factor
otp ONE_TIME_PASSWORD One-time password Okta Verify, Google Authenticator
sms SMS_MESSAGE SMS text message to the user at a registered number SMS factor
tel TELEPHONE_CALL Telephone call to the user at a registered number Phone call factor
geo GEOLOCATION Use of geo-location information IP Trust and Network Zone policy conditions
fpt BIO_FINGERPRINT Fingerprint biometric authentication Okta Verify with Touch ID
kba KNOWLEDGE_BASED_AUTHENTICATION Knowledge-based authentication Security Question factor
mfa MULTIFACTOR_AUTHENTICATION Multiple-factor authentication This value is present whenever any MFA factor verification is performed.
mca MULTIPLE_CHANNEL_AUTHENTICATION Multiple-channel authentication Authentication requires communication over more than one channel, such as Internet and mobile network.
sc SMART_CARD Smart card authentication User authenticated using a smart card, such as a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card or Common Access Card (CAC)

IDP object

Specifies the Identity Provider that is used to authenticate the user

Property DataType Nullable Unique Readonly MinLength MaxLength Validation
id String FALSE FALSE TRUE
type OKTA, ACTIVE_DIRECTORY, LDAP, FEDERATION, or SOCIAL FALSE FALSE TRUE

Note: The id is the org ID if the type is OKTA. Otherwise, it is the IDP instance ID.

{
  "idp": {
    "id": "0oabhnUQFYHMBNVSVXMV",
    "type": "ACTIVE_DIRECTORY"
  }
}