Passkeys 101: what they are and how they work

Passkeys are a standardized form of passwordless authentication that use a combination of a browser API and an authentication device like your phone or computer to offer secure, site-specific credentials. They are built on top of industry standards such as WebAuthn and the Client to Authenticator Protocol (CTAP), which makes them a reliable form of secure authentication. Passkeys use public key cryptography to generate an authentication key pair, with public keys stored on a backend server and private keys stored on the device where they were generated. The two main categories of passkeys are synced passkeys, which backup private keys to a passkey manager like Apple iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager, and device-bound passkeys, which use private keys that never leave the originating device. Passkeys offer unique security benefits such as being phishing-resistant, reducing hacking targets, and offering cross-device authentication. They also provide intuitive usability benefits such as being fast and compatible with different ecosystems. However, their adoption is currently limited due to a lack of widespread implementation and support for alternative forms of authentication. Implementing passkeys requires verifying with the Twilio Passkeys server-side tools, which will provide the necessary integration for passwordless consumer authentication.

No tracked trend matches for this post yet.

Use this post, company, and trend context to find content marketing opportunities, perform competitive analysis, or address product feature gaps via the Plushcap MCP server or the Plushcap API.