How to validate an OAuth 2.0 access token for a resource server?

When a client asks a resource server to get a protected resource with an OAuth 2.0 access token, how does this server validate the token? The OAuth 2.0 refresh token protocol?

Google way

Google Oauth2 Token Validation

Request:

https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v1/tokeninfo?access_token=1/fFBGRNJru1FQd44AzqT3Zg

Respond:

{
  "audience":"8819981768.apps.googleusercontent.com",
  "user_id":"123456789",
  "scope":"https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.profile https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.email",
  "expires_in":436
} 

Microsoft way

Microsoft - Oauth2 check an authorization

Github way

Github - Oauth2 check an authorization

Request:

GET /applications/:client_id/tokens/:access_token

Respond:

{
  "id": 1,
  "url": "https://api.github.com/authorizations/1",
  "scopes": [
    "public_repo"
  ],
  "token": "abc123",
  "app": {
    "url": "http://my-github-app.com",
    "name": "my github app",
    "client_id": "abcde12345fghij67890"
  },
  "note": "optional note",
  "note_url": "http://optional/note/url",
  "updated_at": "2011-09-06T20:39:23Z",
  "created_at": "2011-09-06T17:26:27Z",
  "user": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "somehexcode",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat"
  }
}

Amazon way

Login With Amazon - Developer Guide (Dec. 2015, page 21)

Request :

https://api.amazon.com/auth/O2/tokeninfo?access_token=Atza|IQEBLjAsAhRmHjNgHpi0U-Dme37rR6CuUpSR...

Response :

HTTP/l.l 200 OK
Date: Fri, 3l May 20l3 23:22:l0 GMT 
x-amzn-RequestId: eb5be423-ca48-lle2-84ad-5775f45l4b09 
Content-Type: application/json 
Content-Length: 247 

{ 
  "iss":"https://www.amazon.com", 
  "user_id": "amznl.account.K2LI23KL2LK2", 
  "aud": "amznl.oa2-client.ASFWDFBRN", 
  "app_id": "amznl.application.436457DFHDH", 
  "exp": 3597, 
  "iat": l3ll280970
}

Update Nov. 2015: As per Hans Z. below - this is now indeed defined as part of RFC 7662.

Original Answer: The OAuth 2.0 spec (RFC 6749) doesn't clearly define the interaction between a Resource Server (RS) and Authorization Server (AS) for access token (AT) validation. It really depends on the AS's token format/strategy - some tokens are self-contained (like JSON Web Tokens) while others may be similar to a session cookie in that they just reference information held server side back at the AS.

There has been some discussion in the OAuth Working Group about creating a standard way for an RS to communicate with the AS for AT validation. My company (Ping Identity) has come up with one such approach for our commercial OAuth AS (PingFederate): https://support.pingidentity.com/s/document-item?bundleId=pingfederate-93&topicId=lzn1564003025072.html#lzn1564003025072__section_N10578_N1002A_N10001. It uses REST based interaction for this that is very complementary to OAuth 2.0.

An update on @Scott T.'s answer: the interface between Resource Server and Authorization Server for token validation was standardized in IETF RFC 7662 in October 2015, see: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7662. A sample validation call would look like:

POST /introspect HTTP/1.1
Host: server.example.com
Accept: application/json
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Authorization: Bearer 23410913-abewfq.123483

token=2YotnFZFEjr1zCsicMWpAA

and a sample response:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "active": true,
  "client_id": "l238j323ds-23ij4",
  "username": "jdoe",
  "scope": "read write dolphin",
  "sub": "Z5O3upPC88QrAjx00dis",
  "aud": "https://protected.example.net/resource",
  "iss": "https://server.example.com/",
  "exp": 1419356238,
  "iat": 1419350238,
  "extension_field": "twenty-seven"
}

Of course adoption by vendors and products will have to happen over time.

OAuth 2.0 spec doesn't define the part. But there could be couple of options:

1. When resource server gets the token in the Authz Header then it calls the validate/introspect API on Authz server to validate the token. Here Authz server might validate it either from using DB Store or verifying the signature and certain attributes. As part of response, it decodes the token and sends the actual data of token along with remaining expiry time.

2. Authz Server can encrpt/sign the token using private key and then publickey/cert can be given to Resource Server. When resource server gets the token, it either decrypts/verifies signature to verify the token. Takes the content out and processes the token. It then can either provide access or reject.

OAuth v2 specs indicates:

> Access token attributes and the methods used to access protected resources are beyond the scope of this specification and are defined by companion specifications.

My Authorisation Server has a webservice (SOAP) endpoint that allows the Resource Server to know whether the access_token is valid.

Updated Answer for 2021

It is generally not recommended that you roll any part of the OAuth 2 / OIDC implementation on your own, especially now that token introspection is part of the standard. Much like attempting to roll your own encryption library, it is far too easy to make critical mistakes with such a complex spec.

Here's a list of recommended libraries in other languages that implement OAuth 2. Here's another of ones that have been certified by the OpenID Foundation; many of those libraries also implement OAuth 2.

If you're in .NET and using the IdentityServer library (version 2.2 and up), the introspect endpoint accomplishes exactly this. It's published as part of the discovery document (also standard), and is an endpoint against which the resource server can validate access tokens.

If you've come this far and you still really want to roll your own, take some tips from how the bigger libraries have done it.