Intro to Passkeys

WebAuthn, RP IDs, and what JavaScript developers need to ship

Ben Houston · 2026-03-19

Passkeys bring public-key authentication into the browser, which means less password reset pain, stronger phishing resistance, and a much better default sign-in flow.

Why Developers Should Care

Security and product wins

No shared secret to steal from your database.
Private keys stay on the authenticator.
Login is bound to the site identity, not just a UI that looks convincing.
Users approve with Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello, or a hardware key.

What changes in your app

The browser becomes part of the auth protocol.
Your server sends challenges and verifies signed responses.
Your domain setup matters because the RP ID is part of identity.
Recovery and fallback flows still matter for production.