1# Authentication — TypeScript SDK Quick Reference
2 
3> Condensed from **azure-identity-ts**. Full patterns (sovereign clouds,
4> device code flow, custom credentials, bearer token provider)
5> in the **azure-identity-ts** plugin skill if installed.
6 
7## Install
8npm install @azure/identity
9 
10## Quick Start
11> **Auth:** `DefaultAzureCredential` is for local development. See [auth-best-practices.md](../auth-best-practices.md) for production patterns.
12 
13```typescript
14import { DefaultAzureCredential } from "@azure/identity";
15const credential = new DefaultAzureCredential();
16```
17 
18## Best Practices
19- Use DefaultAzureCredential for **local development only** (CLI, PowerShell, VS Code). In production, use ManagedIdentityCredential — see [auth-best-practices.md](../auth-best-practices.md)
20- Never hardcode credentials — use environment variables or managed identity
21- Prefer managed identity — no secrets to manage in production
22- Scope credentials appropriately — use user-assigned identity for multi-tenant scenarios
23- Handle token refresh — Azure SDK handles this automatically
24- Use ChainedTokenCredential for custom fallback scenarios
25