OAuth FAQ

OAuth is an authentication protocol that allows users to approve an application to act on their behalf without sharing their password. More information can be found at oauth.net.

You must have a Twitter app to generate access tokens. Learn more about access tokens here. 

You must have a developer account to create a Twitter app. You can sign up for one here.

You can view and edit your app from the Twitter app dashboard if you are logged into your Twitter account on developer.twitter.com.

Access tokens are not explicitly expired. An access token will be invalidated if a user explicitly revokes an application in the their Twitter account settings, or if Twitter suspends an application. If an application is suspended, there will be a note in the Twitter app dashboard stating that it has been suspended.

Assume a user’s access token may become invalid at any time. If this happens, prompt the user to re-authorize the application. Ensuring that this situation is handled gracefully is important for a good user experience.

Many users trust an application to read their information, but not necessarily change their user profile information or post new statuses. Updating information via the X API - be it name, location or adding a new status - requires an HTTP POST. Any API method that requires an HTTP POST is considered a write method and requires read & write access.