I think of them like this: Authentication is the act of verifying that you are who you say you are, generally with something you know (password) and ideally wit

I think of them like this: Authentication is the act of verifying that you are who you say you are, generally with something you know (password) and ideally with something you have (token, authenticator app, etc.). This lets you log in. Once you log in, you are granted authorization for certain tasks. This could be rights to an individual record or column, or it could be administrative privileges within an app. It's not involved in determining who you say you are; it authorizes you to access things based on who you are (from the act of authenticating). That's the way I understand those two terms and their practical applications.