API authentication tokens expiring prematurely during supplier data sync

QMS Arena QMS (by PTC)
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1

We’re running into a frustrating issue with our supplier management API integration. Bearer tokens generated for batch supplier data sync operations are expiring after just 15 minutes, even though our token TTL is configured for 60 minutes in the API settings.

Our sync process takes 45-60 minutes to process 500+ supplier records, and the token expiration causes the sync to fail midway through. We’re not implementing refresh token logic currently because we assumed the initial token would last the configured duration.


GET /api/v1/suppliers/batch
Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGc...
Response: 401 Unauthorized
Error: Token expired after 15m 23s

The token TTL configuration shows 3600 seconds, but actual expiration happens around 900 seconds. Is there a sliding window or session timeout that overrides the token TTL setting? Any guidance on implementing proper refresh token handling for long-running batch operations would be appreciated.

2

I’ll address all four aspects of your token expiration issue with a complete solution:

1. Token TTL Configuration The discrepancy between configured (60min) and actual (15min) TTL indicates a configuration hierarchy issue. Arena QMS 2023.1 has multiple token TTL settings:


api.token.default.ttl=3600
api.token.supplier.scope.ttl=900
api.session.idle.timeout=900

Your supplier-scoped tokens are using the scope-specific TTL (900 seconds) which overrides the default. Update your API configuration:

Navigate to: System > API Configuration > Token Policies

Set supplier_management.token.ttl=3600 to match your requirement.

2. Refresh Token Implementation Implement proper OAuth2 refresh token flow for long-running operations:

When requesting the initial token, include the offline_access scope:


POST /oauth/token
grant_type=client_credentials&scope=supplier_mgmt offline_access

Store both the access_token and refresh_token from the response. Before each API call, check token expiration:


if (token_expires_at - current_time < 300) {
  // Refresh if less than 5 minutes remaining
  new_token = refresh_access_token(refresh_token);
}

The refresh token remains valid for 24 hours and can generate new access tokens without re-authentication.

3. Sliding Window Token Refresh Arena QMS uses a sliding window for API sessions. The token stays valid as long as API calls occur within the idle timeout window (15 minutes by default). However, the absolute TTL still applies.

For your batch operation, implement a keep-alive pattern:

  • Make an API call at least every 10 minutes (before the 15-minute idle timeout)
  • Use a lightweight endpoint like /api/v1/health to refresh the sliding window
  • This maintains the session while respecting the absolute TTL

Configure the sliding window in api.properties:


api.session.sliding.window.enabled=true
api.session.sliding.window.duration=900
api.session.absolute.timeout=3600

4. Batch Operation Segmentation For your 500+ supplier sync, implement segmented processing:

Pseudocode - Segmented batch processing:


// Pseudocode - Key implementation steps:
1. Split 500 suppliers into segments of 50 records each
2. For each segment:
   a. Check if current token expires within 5 minutes
   b. If yes, refresh token using refresh_token grant
   c. Process 50 suppliers with current valid token
   d. Log segment completion with timestamp
3. Implement exponential backoff for failed segments
4. Maintain state file for resume capability
// See documentation: Arena QMS API Guide Section 8.4

This approach provides:

  • Resilience to token expiration (new token per segment)
  • Better error recovery (resume from last successful segment)
  • Improved monitoring (track progress per segment)
  • Reduced memory footprint (process smaller batches)

Testing and Validation:

  1. Verify token scope includes full supplier management permissions
  2. Test refresh token flow with a 20-minute batch operation
  3. Monitor token expiration times in API response headers (X-Token-Expires-In)
  4. Check API audit logs for token refresh events

Additional Recommendations:

  • Implement exponential backoff for 401 responses (don’t immediately fail)
  • Cache the refresh token securely (encrypted storage)
  • Log all token refresh events for troubleshooting
  • Set up monitoring alerts for token refresh failures

With proper refresh token implementation and batch segmentation, your supplier sync will handle token expiration gracefully and complete successfully even with operations exceeding 60 minutes.

3

The 15-minute expiration suggests there’s a session timeout separate from the token TTL. Check your API gateway or load balancer settings - they often have their own timeout configurations that can override application-level token lifetimes. We encountered this when our F5 load balancer had a 900-second idle timeout that terminated API sessions regardless of token validity.

4

Thanks for the suggestions. I checked our infrastructure and there’s no intermediate load balancer or gateway that would impose session timeouts. This is a direct connection to the Arena QMS API server. Brian, do you have examples of implementing refresh token logic? Our current integration uses a simple bearer token obtained at the start of the sync process.

5

I’ve seen this specific behavior in Arena QMS 2023.1 when the API client credentials have restricted scopes. Tokens with limited scope permissions sometimes get shorter TTLs than the configured default. Verify that your API client has full supplier management scope granted.