authenticity token rails

The authenticity token in Ruby on Rails is a security feature used to protect against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks. CSRF attacks occur when a malicious website tricks a user's browser into making a request to another website that the user is authenticated on, without the user's knowledge or consent.

Here is an explanation of each step involved in handling authenticity tokens in Ruby on Rails:

1. When a user logs in or authenticates on a Rails application, a unique authenticity token is generated and associated with the user's session.

2. When a form is rendered in the application, the authenticity token is included as a hidden field within the form. This is typically done using the form_authenticity_token helper method.

3. When the user submits the form, the authenticity token is sent along with the form data.

4. In the controller action that handles the form submission, Rails automatically checks the authenticity token to ensure that it matches the token associated with the user's session. If the tokens don't match, Rails raises an ActionController::InvalidAuthenticityToken exception.

5. If the authenticity token is valid, Rails allows the controller action to proceed with processing the form data.

By including an authenticity token in each form and verifying it on the server side, Rails ensures that a request can only be made from within the application itself, preventing malicious requests from external sources.

It's important to note that authenticity tokens are automatically generated and handled by Rails, so developers don't need to manually implement this feature. It's a crucial security measure that helps protect Rails applications from CSRF attacks.