Jared

This is the problem with templates. You build yourself a template, and then you use a template, and the template probably supports string interpolation or some sort of logic where you could have the current year, but I don't got time for that. So I just had it say 2024, and I reused my template and forgot to change one thing. Well, we're back in time. It rolled off the tongue, too.

This is the problem with templates. You build yourself a template, and then you use a template, and the template probably supports string interpolation or some sort of logic where you could have the current year, but I don't got time for that. So I just had it say 2024, and I reused my template and forgot to change one thing. Well, we're back in time. It rolled off the tongue, too.

It sounded really good, so I just rolled it.

It sounded really good, so I just rolled it.

You're like, yes, this sounds familiar. Oh, yeah, 2024. Yeah. Anyways, Dan, you are here to talk auth, so not letters to new developers, but maybe letters for all developers out there. We have a fun conversation teed up, and you have some expertise in this area, right? Maybe tell everybody what you do on a day-to-day, what you're up to.

You're like, yes, this sounds familiar. Oh, yeah, 2024. Yeah. Anyways, Dan, you are here to talk auth, so not letters to new developers, but maybe letters for all developers out there. We have a fun conversation teed up, and you have some expertise in this area, right? Maybe tell everybody what you do on a day-to-day, what you're up to.

I know authentication, authorization, I don't know what's all involved there, but give us a little bit of your context.

I know authentication, authorization, I don't know what's all involved there, but give us a little bit of your context.

Auth is one of those things that is so interesting. We even use it as a base case for build versus buy decisions because at its simplest... it's completely a build thing. Like it's a solved problem at its simplest case. Right. Totally.

Auth is one of those things that is so interesting. We even use it as a base case for build versus buy decisions because at its simplest... it's completely a build thing. Like it's a solved problem at its simplest case. Right. Totally.

But then the thing is, is like, there's this sprawling concern that happens over time with it, where it's just the simple case doesn't, isn't sufficient over the course of time. And so all these other things come in SSO, MFA, more alphabet soup. Um, And now you find yourself kind of reinventing lots of little different wheels in order to stay in the build camp on that particular thing.

But then the thing is, is like, there's this sprawling concern that happens over time with it, where it's just the simple case doesn't, isn't sufficient over the course of time. And so all these other things come in SSO, MFA, more alphabet soup. Um, And now you find yourself kind of reinventing lots of little different wheels in order to stay in the build camp on that particular thing.

And this is back in the developer zeitgeist right now because there's been some conversations around magic links, one-time pass codes or passwords, pass keys. Yep. Our password's dead. We got excited about pass keys, Adam, you and I, last year speaking with 1Password folks. Is that right? It was. Yes. And didn't actually roll them out for our site, but have been longtime Magic Links users.

And this is back in the developer zeitgeist right now because there's been some conversations around magic links, one-time pass codes or passwords, pass keys. Yep. Our password's dead. We got excited about pass keys, Adam, you and I, last year speaking with 1Password folks. Is that right? It was. Yes. And didn't actually roll them out for our site, but have been longtime Magic Links users.

So I know all the drawbacks of Magic Links.

So I know all the drawbacks of Magic Links.

I've hit them all. And I was pretty excited when I implemented them back in 2016 for our website. And we have not that many people signing in and technical users. And so it seemed to make sense. But still, I've hit all kinds of things that are just...

I've hit them all. And I was pretty excited when I implemented them back in 2016 for our website. And we have not that many people signing in and technical users. And so it seemed to make sense. But still, I've hit all kinds of things that are just...

little sand in the gears huh a little bit a little friction just like oh yeah you know and so ultimately we're all trying to either augment or replace password base off you know because of the security concern it's just like so prevalent but and that i actually want to ask you like back in 2016 was that the main reason the main impetus for doing magic links was security concerns

little sand in the gears huh a little bit a little friction just like oh yeah you know and so ultimately we're all trying to either augment or replace password base off you know because of the security concern it's just like so prevalent but and that i actually want to ask you like back in 2016 was that the main reason the main impetus for doing magic links was security concerns