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Author: mintlify[bot]

installation/authentication-setup.mdx

@@ -3,35 +3,59 @@ title: "Authentication Setup"
 sidebarTitle: Overview
 ---
 
-PowerSync clients (i.e. apps used by your users that embed the PowerSync Client SDK) authenticate against the server-side [PowerSync Service](/architecture/powersync-service) using [JWTs](https://jwt.io/) (signed tokens) that are generated by your application backend.
+# PowerSync Authentication Overview
+
+PowerSync uses JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) for secure client authentication. These tokens are generated by your application backend and used by PowerSync clients to authenticate against the PowerSync Service.
+
+## Initial Architecture
+
+Before implementing PowerSync, a typical application architecture might look like this:
 
-Before using PowerSync, an application's existing architecture may look like this:
 <Frame>
   <img src="/images/powersync-docs-architecture-diagram-001 (1).png"/>
 </Frame>
 
-The [PowerSync Service](/architecture/powersync-service) uses database native credentials and authenticates directly against the [backend database](/installation/database-setup) using the configured credentials:
+## PowerSync Service Authentication
+
+The PowerSync Service maintains a direct connection to your backend database using native credentials:
 
 <Frame>
   <img src="/images/powersync-docs-architecture-diagram-002 (2).png"/>
 </Frame>
 
-When the PowerSync client SDK is included in an app project, it uses [existing app-to-backend](/installation/app-backend-setup) authentication to [retrieve a JSON Web Token (JWT)](/installation/authentication-setup):
+## Client Authentication Flow
+
+### Step 1: JWT Retrieval
+When integrated into your app, the PowerSync client SDK uses your existing app-to-backend authentication to obtain a JSON Web Token:
 
 <Frame>
   <img src="/images/powersync-docs-architecture-diagram-004 (2).png"/>
 </Frame>
 
-The PowerSync client SDK uses the retrieved JWT to authenticate directly against the PowerSync Service:
+### Step 2: PowerSync Service Connection
+The PowerSync client SDK then uses this JWT to establish a secure connection with the PowerSync Service:
 
 <Frame>
   <img src="/images/powersync-docs-architecture-diagram-005 (2).png"/>
 </Frame>
 
-Users are not persisted in PowerSync, and there is no server-to-server communication used for client authentication.
+<Note>
+PowerSync does not persist user information, and there is no server-to-server communication for client authentication.
+</Note>
+
+## Authentication Options
 
-Some authentication providers already generate JWTs for users which PowerSync can verify directly — see the documentation for individual providers (e.g. [Supabase Auth](/installation/authentication-setup/supabase-auth), [Firebase Auth](/installation/authentication-setup/firebase-auth))
+### Pre-configured Providers
+Some authentication providers generate JWTs that PowerSync can verify directly:
+- [Supabase Auth](/installation/authentication-setup/supabase-auth)
+- [Firebase Auth](/installation/authentication-setup/firebase-auth)
 
-For others, some backend code must be added to your application backend to generate the JWTs needed for PowerSync — see [Custom](/installation/authentication-setup/custom) authentication.
+### Custom Authentication
+For other authentication systems, you'll need to add JWT generation code to your backend. See our [Custom](/installation/authentication-setup/custom) authentication guide for details.
 
-For a quick way to get up and running during development, you can generate [Development Tokens](/installation/authentication-setup/development-tokens) directly from the [PowerSync Dashboard](/usage/tools/powersync-dashboard) (PowerSync Cloud) or locally with a self-hosted setup.
+### Development Tokens
+<Tip>
+For quick development and testing, you can generate [Development Tokens](/installation/authentication-setup/development-tokens) through the:
+- [PowerSync Dashboard](/usage/tools/powersync-dashboard) (PowerSync Cloud)
+- Local setup (self-hosted installations)
+</Tip>