Your current setup with paths instead of subdomains is absolutely workable and practical:
- Patients: https://www.myhospitalnow.com/
- Doctors: https://www.myhospitalnow.com/doctors/
- Hospitals: https://www.myhospitalnow.com/hospitals/
JWT vs. OAuth2 Clarification
JWT and OAuth2 are not mutually exclusive, and in fact, they complement each other. Here's clarification:
- JWT (JSON Web Token) is a type of token format, primarily used for securely transmitting information as a JSON object.
- OAuth2 is an authentication and authorization protocol for issuing and managing tokens.
In practice:
- OAuth2 issues tokens, and JWT is commonly used as the format for these tokens.
- OAuth2 handles complex flows (like issuing, refresh tokens, and external identity integration).
- JWT tokens contain user information, roles, and permissions as claims, which simplifies authorization and validation.
Recommended Approach for Your Case:
Use OAuth2 with JWT tokens:
- Your Authentication Service will implement OAuth2 flows (Authorization Code Grant, Implicit, Client Credentials, etc.).
- Tokens issued via OAuth2 will be JWT-formatted, embedding roles (
patient, doctor, hospital) directly in token claims.
- API Gateway validates these JWT tokens, checking roles and permissions quickly and efficiently without constant re-queries to the auth server.
Clarified Flow for your scenario:
Here's how your recommended architecture and flow would look practically with OAuth2 + JWT:
Patient visits: https://www.myhospitalnow.com
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v
Redirect to centralized OAuth2 Authentication Endpoint (e.g., auth.myhospitalnow.com/login)
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Patient logs in with their credentials
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OAuth2 Authentication Server issues JWT Token (includes role: patient)
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Redirect back to https://www.myhospitalnow.com with JWT token
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API Gateway validates JWT token (signature, expiry, role: patient)
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Route request securely to Patient Resource Microservice
Similarly, for Doctors and Hospitals:
- Doctors (
/doctors/) authenticate through OAuth2 login, receive JWT tokens with role: doctor.
- Hospitals (
/hospitals/) authenticate through OAuth2 login, receive JWT tokens with role: hospital.
Advantages of Using OAuth2 + JWT:
- Stateless: No need for session management on servers.
- Fast Authorization Checks: Role-based JWT claims simplify quick role checks.
- Secure & Industry-Standard: Proven, widely-adopted authentication strategy.
- Scalable: Easily integrates external identity providers (Google, Azure AD, etc.).
Conclusion:
Your existing URL structure is fully compatible and effective.
Recommendation:
✅ OAuth2 protocol with JWT-formatted tokens is the optimal combination to meet your RBAC and security requirements clearly, robustly, and scalably.