Passkey
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
The replacement for passwords that actually works. Instead of typing a password, your device (phone, laptop) handles authentication with biometrics (Face ID, fingerprint) or a PIN. No passwords to forget, no passwords to phish, no passwords to leak in a data breach. The future is passwordless.
Real Talk
Passkeys are a FIDO2/WebAuthn-based authentication method that replaces passwords with public-key cryptography. The private key stays on the user's device, authenticated via biometrics or device PIN. They're phishing-resistant by design since the credential is bound to the specific origin (domain).
When You'll Hear This
"We added passkey support — signups increased 30%." / "Passkeys make phishing basically impossible."
Related Terms
Authentication (AuthN)
Authentication is proving you are who you say you are.
SSO (Single Sign-On)
Log in once, access everything. Instead of remembering 47 different passwords for 47 different work apps, you log in to one system (like Google or Okta) an...
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
2FA means you need two things to log in: something you know (password) and something you have (your phone).
WebAuthn
WebAuthn is the browser API that makes passkeys work.