Authentication vs Authorization

Authentication and authorization are popular terms in modern computer systems that often confuse people. Authentication is the process of confirming the identity of a user or a device (i.e., an entity). During the authentication process, an entity usually relies on some proof to authenticate itself, i.e. an authentication factor. In contrast to authentication, authorization refers to the process of verifying what resources entities (users or devices) can access, or what actions they can perform, i.e., their access rights.