Sanctum vs Passport in Laravel: Key Differences and When to Use Each

Laravel Sanctum is a simple token-based authentication system ideal for single-page apps and mobile apps, while Passport is a full OAuth2 server implementation suited for complex API authentication with third-party access. Choose Sanctum for simplicity and Passport for advanced OAuth2 features.

Quick Comparison

Here is a quick side-by-side comparison of Laravel Sanctum and Passport based on key factors.

Feature	Laravel Sanctum	Laravel Passport
Authentication Type	Simple token-based, cookie/session support	Full OAuth2 server with access tokens
Use Case	Single-page apps, mobile apps, simple APIs	Complex APIs, third-party integrations, OAuth2 flows
Setup Complexity	Easy and lightweight	More complex, requires OAuth2 understanding
Token Types	Personal access tokens, SPA tokens	Access tokens, refresh tokens, authorization codes
Third-party Access	No built-in support	Supports third-party OAuth clients
Token Revocation	Manual token deletion	Built-in token revocation and scopes

Key Differences

Sanctum provides a straightforward way to issue API tokens to users without the complexity of OAuth2. It supports issuing personal access tokens and SPA authentication using cookies, making it perfect for apps where you control both frontend and backend.

Passport, on the other hand, implements the full OAuth2 server specification. It supports multiple OAuth2 grant types like authorization code, client credentials, and password grants. This makes it suitable for APIs that need to allow third-party clients or require fine-grained token scopes and refresh tokens.

While Sanctum is easier to set up and use, Passport offers more security features and flexibility for complex authentication scenarios. The choice depends on your app's needs: simple token management or full OAuth2 compliance.

Code Comparison

Here is how you create a personal access token for a user with Laravel Sanctum.

php

<?php
use App\Models\User;

Route::get('/sanctum-token', function () {
    $user = User::find(1);
    $token = $user->createToken('token-name')->plainTextToken;
    return ['token' => $token];
});

Output

{"token":"<token_string_here>"}

Passport Equivalent

Here is how you issue a personal access token with Laravel Passport using password grant.

php

<?php
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;

Route::post('/passport-token', function (Request $request) {
    $response = Http::asForm()->post(route('passport.token'), [
        'grant_type' => 'password',
        'client_id' => 'client-id',
        'client_secret' => 'client-secret',
        'username' => $request->username,
        'password' => $request->password,
        'scope' => '',
    ]);

    return $response->json();
});

Output

{"token_type":"Bearer","expires_in":31536000,"access_token":"<access_token_here>","refresh_token":"<refresh_token_here>"}

When to Use Which

Choose Sanctum when you need a simple, lightweight token system for your own frontend apps or mobile clients without third-party access. It is perfect for single-page applications and straightforward API authentication.

Choose Passport when your API requires full OAuth2 support, such as allowing third-party clients, using multiple grant types, or needing refresh tokens and scopes. It is best for complex APIs with advanced security needs.

Key Takeaways

Sanctum is simple and ideal for first-party SPA and mobile app authentication.

Passport implements full OAuth2 for complex API and third-party access needs.

Sanctum uses personal access tokens and cookie-based SPA auth.

Passport supports multiple OAuth2 grants, refresh tokens, and scopes.

Choose based on your app's complexity and third-party integration requirements.