Laravel Sanctum is a lightweight authentication system for Single Page Applications (SPAs), mobile applications, and simple, token-based APIs. It allows each user to generate multiple API tokens with specified abilities or scopes. Laravel itself is created by Taylor Otwell.
Key features include simple setup and token-based authentication, which enables users to issue API tokens without the complexities of OAuth. For SPAs, Sanctum uses cookie-based session authentication, allowing JavaScript front ends to authenticate using the same Laravel session cookies. It also provides CSRF protection. Sanctum allows defining token scopes to manage API access, and tokens can be revoked easily.
Laravel Sanctum is open-source software licensed under the MIT license, offering freedom for use and modification. Installation is straightforward using Composer. As a package, Laravel Sanctum is available for free.