File upload/ download using REST and JSON Web Token

Question

How does file upload/ download works internally, does it require multiple request and response? I am asking this question because I am using spring security for JSON Web Token ( JWT ) Authentication and if file upload/ download requires multiple request/ response then how am I supposed to send the authentication/ refresh token with the file upload/ download request multiple times.

I am using JWT in Java Swing based desktop application.

Answer 1

You can make a single request for the file, providing your token in a bearer header. After authenticating the request (validating the token and checking any claims) the web server should return the file as a stream and specify some response headers to indicate to the client (your Swing desktop application in this case) how to handle the response.