Passkeys, an implementation
In this workshop we will dive deep into PassKeys, the mechanics, explaining in detail why it’s more secure than passwords and describing how it impacts the UX flow for signups and logins. Depending on the audience we will build either a NodeJS or Java implementation, complete with the front-end VanillaJS code.
The contents of the API exchange will be broken down, you will get familiar with the tools that allow you to debug your implementation, understand where things can go wrong and know how to fix them.
I will show you how different browsers treat the passkey flows, as they don’t behave exactly the same, and how to adapt the UX to create a seamless experience.
Finally we will look at passkey management from your client’s side.
Sample code will be provided in VanillaJS, Java, NodeJS and PHP.
PassKey adoption is about to reach a tipping point, don’t be left out! It’s important to master a subject as sensitive as authentication and implement it properly, as it affects 100% of your end users and their relationship with your product. Hence this is a deep dive into the mechanics behind passkeys, the flow of exchange between the browser and the server, the browsers side libraries, how to persist the data, and how to let your users manage their passkeys.
We will cover
- What are passkeys
- Why are they more secure
- What is the responsibility of the client side, and the server side
- What APIs are required
- How does it affect the UX; with a few UX recipes to use as guidance
- The discrepancies between browser implementations (Firefox, Chrome, Safari)
- A look at the WebAuthn libraries
- The data structures needed to support passkeys
- 2FA, is it still needed?
- Tools to debug your implementation
We will do an implementation; depending on the audience, it will be NodeJS or Java. Finally, we will have a discussion on the essence of authentication, and if you had to create such a standard, how you would do it!
Prerequisites
- Experience with JavaScript in the browser
- Experience with REST APIs
- Experience with databases
- Interest in a passwordless world!
Important Node
- Although it's better to have a developer's perspective for the workshop, everybody who is interested in understanding passkeys in depth is welcome and will find the workshop insightful.
Duration:
- 1 day
- 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
- 1 hour lunch break included at the hotel's restaurant
- 15 min coffee break every morning and afternoon
Martin Legris
Obvious Leap
Hi, I've been programming for longer than I like to admit.. I started developing for the web in 1997, wrote my first CGI scripts that talked to MySQL in C++. It has been a long journey since then; through Java (10+ years), PHP, HTML/JS, AS2, AS3, Android Developemnt, C#. I founded a startup in 2012 and raised 1M$; that has changed my perspective of programming forever! I like to explore interaction concepts.
