Answer: Key-pair authentication

The question asks for the recommended authentication method for a Snowflake service account connecting to a third-party application. According to the community discussion and Snowflake best practices, key-pair authentication (Option B) is recommended for headless service accounts that connect programmatically. This method eliminates passwords entirely, aligns with security best practices for non-interactive accounts, and avoids human-centric authentication requirements like MFA or SSO that are not suitable for automated connections. The community discussion shows 100% consensus on Option B, with detailed reasoning that key-pair authentication is preferred over username/password (A), MFA (C), and SSO (D) for service accounts.

Author: LeetQuiz Editorial Team