Building Passwordless Authentication in Phoenix LiveView with WebAuthn

In this episode of Elixir Wizards, Owen Bickford delves into the topic of passwordless authentication, specifically through the lens of his creation, the WebauthnComponents library for Phoenix LiveView applications. He provides a comprehensive overview of the history of authentication—from basic passwords to multi-factor systems—and addresses the security issues and user experience challenges encountered with traditional methods. Owen emphasizes the benefits of adopting passkeys, which utilize the WebAuthn API for a secure and user-friendly login experience, including cross-device support and credential syncing through password managers. The discussion also highlights the development process of the WebauthnComponents library, encouraging contributions from the community and proposing enhancements such as multiple passkeys per account and advanced recovery strategies. The episode serves as a call to action for developers interested in secure authentication solutions and exploring the capabilities of Elixir for modern application security.