# Technical Brief: Why We Use GitHub Apps Over OAuth

We use the **GitHub App** framework (the industry-standard recommended by GitHub and Gearset) because it offers a stronger security architecture than traditional OAuth. Unlike OAuth, which grants broad, persistent "act-as-user" permissions, GitHub Apps use **fine-grained permissions** and **short-lived tokens** (expiring every hour) to ensure the Principle of Least Privilege. Furthermore, GitHub Apps allow for **repository-level scoping**, ensuring the tool can only access specific authorized repositories rather than a user’s entire GitHub account.

#### **Platform Documentation & Recommendations**

* **GitHub Official:** [GitHub Apps are the recommended way to integrate](https://docs.github.com/en/apps/creating-github-apps/about-creating-github-apps/deciding-when-to-build-a-github-app). Examples of other products:
* **Gearset:** [Recommends its GitHub App](https://docs.gearset.com/en/articles/9965863-integrating-with-github-or-github-enterprise-through-a-github-app) to eliminate broad OAuth scopes. They *have* an alternative OAuth-based connection method, but do not recommend it.
* **Copado:** [Utilizes an OAuth2-based approach](https://docs.copado.com/articles/copado-ci-cd-publication/git-repository-overview) non-specific to GitHub to secure credentials within backend secrets stored in Copado systems.

| **Security Feature**       | **GitHub App (Recommended)**                                                                 | **OAuth App (Alternative)**                                                    |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Permission Granularity** | **Fine-grained:** Separate "Read" vs "Write" for code, PRs, and metadata.                    | **Broad Scopes:** `repo` scope grants full control over all code and settings. |
| **Credential Lifetime**    | **1 Hour:** Tokens are temporary and auto-rotated.                                           | **Indefinite:** Tokens live forever until manually deleted.                    |
| **Access Control**         | **Repository-level:** You choose exactly which repos are visible.                            | **Account-level:** Accesses everything the user can see.                       |
| **Traceability**           | **Bot-Specific:** Actions are clearly marked as the integration (co-authored with the user). | **User-Impersonation:** Actions appear as if the user performed them.          |
| **Service Stability**      | **Independent:** Works even if the setup user leaves the company.                            | **User-Dependent:** Breaks if the authorizing user’s account is deactivated.   |


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