title: Web Service Authentication - PHP
body: <p>I'm creating a simple web service in PHP to serve data to some of our internal applications.</p>
  
  <p>My question is around authentication/security, the implementation of the actual web service isn't a problem.</p>
  
  <p>For security, I'm planning on providing each application that will be consuming the service with a unique, periodically static authentication code that they use when call into the service. The service code then checks an internal list to see if the authentication code being used is a valid one, and provides access to the data if it is.</p>
  
  <p>E.g.</p>
  
  <pre><code>xxx.xxx.com/ws.php?op=getproductnameslist&amp;authcode=329cj32x21xdd332
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The service is being served over HTTPS, so transmission of the actual data should be encrypted.</p>
  
  <p>I'd like some comments on the above in terms security concerns, and if there is a better way to do this.</p>