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Add WebAuthn documentation #870

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Add WebAuthn documentation #870

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emlun
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@emlun emlun commented Jul 21, 2024

Documentation for syncthing/syncthing#9175.

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emlun commented Jul 27, 2024

Added a section on the "2FA" setting (renamed from "Require UV") covering most of what I laid out in syncthing/syncthing#9175 (comment).

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A credential is a public-private key pair stored either on an external security key,
or a `platform credential` stored on your computer or phone.
A credential is a public-private key pair that is stored on an `authenticator`,
which could be an external security key, a smartphone, or built into your computer.
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which could be an external security key, a smartphone, or built into your computer.
which could be a smart device (such as a phone, tablet, or watch), a dedicated hardware security key (such as a YubiKey), or built right into your computer.

"security key" might be too vague to the uninitiated, and aren't they all external?

We therefore sometimes refer to WebAuthn credentials in Syncthing as "passkeys",
because they enable most of the same UI flows as passkeys,
even though they do not consume storage space on external security keys like passkeys usually do.
even though they do not consume storage space on external security keys like passkeys generally do.
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even though they do not consume storage space on external security keys like passkeys generally do.
even though they do not consume storage space on hardware security keys like passkeys generally do.

but with credentials that do not need to consume storage space.
A "passkey" is a credential that enables "username-less login",
which identifies the user automatically without needing them to enter a username first.
For technical reasons, this is incompatible with a cryptographic trick commonly used by external security keys
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For technical reasons, this is incompatible with a cryptographic trick commonly used by external security keys
For technical reasons, this is incompatible with a cryptographic trick commonly used by hardware security keys

@@ -45,7 +44,8 @@ For example:

- If the credential is stored on a smartphone,
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Should these paragraphs refer to "smart devices, or your PC"? Since it's just an example, probably not.

For hostnames other than ``localhost`` you will also need an HTTPS certificate your browser considers valid.
For guidance on how to create or obtain one, see for example
`OpenSSL Cookbook <https://www.feistyduck.com/library/openssl-cookbook/online/>`_
or `Let's Encrypt <https://letsencrypt.org/getting-started/>`_.
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How about adding:

To create locally trusted HTTPS certificates on the command-line see
mkcert <https://github.com/FiloSottile/mkcert>_.

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acolomb commented Aug 17, 2024

For the record, I'd like some time to review this as well before someone merges it. Just waiting for the main PR to settle down a bit.

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4 participants