WebAuthn, short for Web Authentication, is a passwordless authentication API standard developed by the FIDO (Fast Identity Online) Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). WebAuthn is a core component of the FIDO2 Project.
It allows web logins without using traditional passwords, and unlike username-password combination, WebAuthn relies on public key cryptography, which makes it far more secure.
In 2012, the FIDO Alliance was founded by a group of companies and organizations with the goal of reducing, or even eliminating, the reliance on passwords, which are often considered the weakest point in online security.
By 2015, the FIDO Alliance began collaborating with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to develop the WebAuthn standard, aiming to make it the official web protocol for passwordless authentication. In 2018, WebAuthn was officially recognized as a W3C Recommendation, paving the way for widespread adoption.
That same year, the FIDO2 project was formally introduced. Building on the earlier FIDO UAF and U2F protocols, it aimed to create a universal, passwordless authentication solution that would work seamlessly across devices, platforms, and browsers—providing a more secure and user-friendly login experience.
WebAuthn uses public-key cryptography to provide secure, passwordless logins. During registration, the user's device (authenticator) creates a public-private key pair. The private key stays on the device, while the public key is sent to the website (relying party).
For authentication, the website sends a challenge to the device, which, after verifying with the private key, is signed. The signed challenge is sent back and verified with the stored public key by the website. This ensures that no one other than the legitimate user can authenticate without exposing sensitive credentials.
WebAuthn interacts seamlessly with browsers and various authenticators to provide strong security without needing passwords.
Client to Authenticator Protocol (CTAP) is a key part of the WebAuthn framework. It facilitates communication between the browser and external authenticators, such as a security key or a mobile device, and enables passwordless authentication across multiple platforms and devices. CTAP ensures secure interaction by transferring authentication requests and responses in a standardized format, supporting FIDO2's goal of reducing reliance on passwords.
WebAuthn offers enhanced security by eliminating the use of passwords, reducing the possibility of phishing and credential theft. It's also well-supported across many browsers, devices, and operating systems, providing users with a great deal of flexibility and convenience and a faster way to log in with biometrics or hardware tokens.
WebAuthn can be utilized in both single-factor and multi-factor (MFA) authentication, thus enabling businesses to tailor security according to their needs. Last but not least, passwordless authentication reduces operational costs by decreasing the need for password reset support, freeing IT resources for other work.
The adoption of WebAuthn remains slow due to the complexity of implementation for developers and the need for users to adjust from traditional passwords. Integrating WebAuthn into existing systems can require significant development resources, and user education is also a barrier as many are unfamiliar with passwordless methods.
Furthermore, the flexibility that WebAuthn introduces can lead to inconsistency in the user experience. Since different systems may use various authentication methods, this can sometimes confuse users who expect similarity in login procedures. But despite all these challenges, the security and cost-saving benefits make WebAuthn a very strong authentication solution.
Major companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple have implemented WebAuthn, offering users a more secure, passwordless experience across their platforms and services. It is supported across major browsers including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge.
WebAuthn support will only continue to expand as the demand for passwordless authentication grows.
Passkeys and WebAuthn are complementary, not competing technologies. WebAuthn serves as the foundational framework that enables passkeys to function securely and efficiently across platforms.
Passkeys are also a significant part of the FIDO Alliance's efforts to eliminate traditional passwords. FIDO passkeys are a way to advance their mission of securing online authentication through public-key cryptography.
A passkey is a digital credential securely stored on your device, typically accessed through biometrics like fingerprints or facial recognition. Meanwhile, WebAuthn is the protocol that enables secure communication between browsers and websites for passkey-based authentication. These two technologies work hand in hand to create a seamless and highly secure user experience.
WebAuthn guides the browser on how to communicate with the authenticator, such as your phone or laptop. Once this connection is established, WebAuthn directs the browser on how to securely interact with the relying party (the website) for a successful login.
With WebAuthn’s support, passkeys offer a convenient, cross-device, and cross-browser login experience that effectively eliminates phishing and man-in-the-middle attacks. To learn more about how passkeys work and how they’re transforming online security, visit our comprehensive guide on what are passkeys.
While both WebAuthn and OAuth play an important role in web security, they are designed to serve a different purpose.
OAuth is a protocol designed for authorization, allowing third-party services to access resources without exposing a user's login credentials, commonly seen in 'Login with Google' or 'Login with Facebook' buttons.
On the other hand, WebAuthn focuses on authentication, ensuring that the user is who they claim to be when logging into a system.
In essence, WebAuthn verifies identity, while OAuth handles authorization for access to resources.
Integration of WebAuthn within a web application requires the backend developer to ensure the system supports the WebAuthn API and also aligns with FIDO2 standards.
WebAuthn API allows communication between the server, the user's browser, and the authenticators such as biometric scanners or security keys. Developers can utilize JavaScript to integrate WebAuthn for both registration and authentication processes.
This flexible, JavaScript-based API makes it very easy to integrate passwordless authentication across a wide range of web platforms, offering modern web applications secure, user-friendly solutions.
For a detailed guide on implementing passwordless authentication solutions, developers can be referred to tutorials and specifications for WebAuthn, like our guide, which will definitely ease the process of integration.
