## Device Login

A browserless client can obtain an access token using device login.
This is useful when running in an SSH session or an agent.
Spotless acts as the device authorization server your client and continues login on another device.
The user then completes login on their chosen device.
Using spotless you can use the device flow with any spotless integrated service,
even if the upstream service doesn't support device auth.
Get in touch if the service you want is not supported.
{#The-flow}
## The flow

A device login takes 3 steps and requires only an http client.
{#1.-Start-a-device-login}
### 1. Start a device login

This needs to be run from the location that needs the authorization token, i.e. in the ssh session or agent.
Start by making a request to the authorization endpoint `https://spotless.run/device/:service`.
Include a client_id must be a localhost origin (i.e. http://localhost) and an optional list of scopes.
The available scopes are different per service.
This example will get an access token for airtable with read permission for records.
Airtable requires at least one scope.
```sh
curl -s -X POST https://spotless.run/device/airtable \
  -d 'client_id=http://localhost' \
  -d 'scope=data.records:read' 
```
The response contains:
- a `user_code` to show the human
- a `verification_uri` for the human to visit.
- a `device_code` for this device to use.
{#2.-Approve-authorization}
### 2. Approve authorization

This step is run from the device with a browser, likely your laptop or phone.
Open the verification page `https://spotless.run/verify`.
Enter the code from the terminal and approve.
{#3.-Poll-for-the-token}
### 3. Poll for the token

The original device polls the token endpoint `https://spotless.run/token`
```sh
curl -s -X POST https://spotless.run/token \
  --data-urlencode 'grant_type=urn:ietf:params:oauth:grant-type:device_code' \
  --data-urlencode 'device_code=$DEVICE_CODE'
```
Until the login is approved the token endpoint replies `authorization_pending`.
After approval it returns the upstream access token.
{#Language-examples}
## Language examples

The steps above allow you to manually login from a ssh session, with nothing setup.
However it's quicker to use a helper scripts.
- [Bash](/guides/device-login-with-bash.md)