Passkeys: What the Heck and Why?
Neal Fennimore,
CSS-Tricks,
2023/04/13
This is related to my post on ODD.dev but is different from it. We begin with WebAuthn to allow public key cryptography to replace passwords using a security device (example, example) to create private and public keys. The public keys are shared but the private keys are locked to the device. "What makes it useful is that only data signed with the private key can be verified with the public key. That's the portion that replaces a password." Passkeys unlock the private keys, allowing us to store them in the cloud or on another device. Naturally, "Google's and Apple's passkeys platforms do not communicate with each other." Because, of course. That's why it's a better idea to have a distributed and personally owned passkey system, rather than depending on commercial providers.
Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]
OK, I'm going to gush a little, because I love this. Imagine a website where you can store your data, but you're really just storing it on your own computer, but it's also available on any of your other computers, and you can make it public or private if you want. That's what ODD.dev does. ODD is, according to the software development kit (SDK), "Fission's true local-first, edge computing stack." Fission builds "identity, data, and compute protocols for the future of the Internet." For example, they build UCANs "to enable distributed identity (DIDs) and authorization in local-first apps & distributed systems." Also, there's the Webnative SDK "to build fully distributed web applications without needing a complex back-end." Fission also works with partners "to enhance the IPFS and Filecoin ecosystem." Anyhow, here's the ODD demo - enjoy. See also: User Controlled Authorization Networks (UCANs), WebNative, Capacitor.
Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]
There are many ways to read OLDaily; pick whatever works best for you:
This newsletter is sent only at the request of subscribers. If you would like to unsubscribe, Click here.
Know a friend who might enjoy this newsletter? Feel free to forward OLDaily to your colleagues. If you received this issue from a friend and would like a free subscription of your own, you can join our mailing list. Click here to subscribe.
Copyright 2023 Stephen Downes Contact: stephen@downes.ca
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.