!!! Overview[1] The [OpenID Connect] [Identity Token] is versatile, and its use is certainly not limited to just signing in users into apps: !! Stateless sessions Put into a browser cookie the [Identity Token] can be used to implement lightweight stateless sessions. This does away with the need to store sessions on the server side (in memory or on disk), which can be quite a burden for apps that must scale well. The session cookie is checked by validating the [Identity Token]. If the [Identity Token] has expired the app can simply ask the [Identity Provider (IDP)] for a new one via a silent prompt=none request. !! Passing identity to 3rd parties The [Identity Token] may be passed to other components of the app or to backend services when knowledge of the user’s identity is required, for example to log [Auditing] trails. !! [OAuth 2.0 Token Exchange Request] The [Identity Token] may be exchanged for an access token at the token endpoint of an [OAuth 2.0] [Authorization Server] ([RFC 7523]). There are many real world scenarios when an identity document is required to obtain access, for example when you check in at a hotel to get your room key. [OAuth 2.0 Token Exchange Request] has uses in distributed and enterprise applications. !! More Information There might be more information for this subject on one of the following: [{ReferringPagesPlugin before='*' after='\n' }] ---- * [#1] - [OpenID Connect explained|http://connect2id.com/learn/openid-connect/|target='_blank'] - based on information obtained 2016-02-12-