WebAuthn

Passkeys in Production: How One Developer Replaced Passwords with Face ID in Three Days Using FastAPI and Next.js

Yaroslav Morozov details a complete production implementation of Passkeys based on the WebAuthn standard and FIDO2 protocols. The article explains why Passkeys eliminate phishing and database breach risks compared to traditional passwords while providing biometric login via Face ID or Touch ID. It covers database schema design with PostgreSQL tables for credentials and challenges, SQLAlchemy models, and minimal dependencies including py-webauthn on the backend and SimpleWebAuthn on the frontend. Full working code for registration and authentication flows is provided, showing how Passkeys integrate with existing JWT token systems without major refactoring. The guide includes environment configuration, error handling, challenge management with five-minute TTL, and security considerations such as sign count verification to detect cloned keys.