Methods and systems for authorizing a service request between two services in a network environment are disclosed. One method includes, in a recurring background process occurring separate from a service request, having a target service obtain a pre-authorization token including a signature of the request service. In response to confirming the pre-authorization token was issued by the request service, the pre-authorization token is acknowledged and stored for access by instance(s) of the target service. The acknowledged pre-authorization token is saved for use with service requests to the target service from the request service. In response to receiving a service request including pre-authorization token at an instance of the target service, the method confirms the pre-authorization token matches a stored, acknowledged pre-authorization token, and, if so confirmed, authorizes the service request. Pre-authorization tokens have a set duration. The methods and systems reduce computational overhead of the authorization, resulting in decreased latency.