A customer forgets a password, requests a reset, and leaves before completing a purchase. An administrator reuses a password that becomes exposed elsewhere. These are different problems, but both show why website owners should review how people access their accounts.
Passkeys offer another way to sign in. Instead of entering a website password, users can approve access through a compatible device or credential provider, often using a fingerprint, face recognition, or device PIN.
However, adopting passkeys involves more than adding a button. You also need to consider enrollment, device changes, account recovery, and the login methods that remain available.
This guide to passkeys vs passwords explains the differences and gives website owners a practical approach to evaluating them.
What Is a Passkey?
A passkey is a cryptographic credential associated with an account on a website or application.
It uses a public and private key pair:
- The website stores the public key and associated credential information.
- The private key is managed by the user’s authenticator or passkey provider.
- During sign-in, the authenticator proves possession of the private key without sending that key to the website.
On the web, this process uses the Web Authentication API, commonly called WebAuthn. MDN
Is a Passkey the Same as a Fingerprint?
No. A fingerprint or face scan may authorize use of a passkey, but it is not the passkey itself.
Other verification methods can include a device PIN. WebAuthn does not reveal the user’s biometric data to your website; biometric verification happens locally within the authenticator’s security boundary. Level 3
Your website verifies the cryptographic response rather than collecting a fingerprint or facial image.
Passkeys vs Passwords: The Main Differences
| Factor | Passwords | Passkeys |
|---|---|---|
| Basic mechanism | A secret entered or supplied during authentication | A cryptographic response using a private key |
| Website storage | Should store securely derived password hashes | Stores public keys and credential metadata |
| User memory | Users remember a password or use a manager | Users authorize access through an authenticator |
| Phishing | Passwords can be entered into deceptive pages | Credentials are scoped to the legitimate relying party |
| Reuse | Users may reuse passwords across accounts | Credentials are created for their relying-party scope |
| Device changes | Users can type or retrieve their password | Access depends on synchronization, another authenticator, or recovery |
| Recovery | Commonly involves password-reset procedures | Requires planned alternative access and credential management |
| Deployment | Established support across website platforms | Requires compatible software, authenticators, and configuration |
The passkey architecture and domain scoping provide important security benefits, but implementation and recovery choices still matter. Level 2
Why Website Owners Should Consider Passkeys
They Resist Common Credential-Phishing Attacks
A deceptive login page can ask someone to type a password. Passkeys operate differently: the browser and authenticator restrict use according to the credential’s website scope.
A correctly implemented passkey flow therefore resists the common attack in which a fake website captures a reusable login secret. developers.google.com
Use precise language when explaining this benefit. “Phishing-resistant sign-in” is more accurate than claiming that passkeys prevent every scam or account compromise.
They Avoid Storing a Reusable Passkey Secret on Your Server
For passkey authentication, your website stores the public key rather than the private signing key.
Exposure of that public key does not provide an attacker with the private credential needed to authenticate. However, a website breach can still expose personal information, sessions, and other sensitive records. Level 2
They Can Simplify Returning Visits
A returning user may be able to approve sign-in without remembering or typing a website password. Passkey options can also appear through supported form-autofill experiences. fidoalliance.org
Whether that improves your website’s experience depends on the audience and implementation. Measure completion rates and support requests instead of assuming a guaranteed increase in sales.
Synced Passkeys vs Device-Bound Passkeys
Website owners should understand this distinction before setting access policies.
Synced Passkeys
Synced passkeys can become available across supported devices through a passkey provider.
They can make replacing a device easier, but recovery also depends on the provider’s account protections and recovery process.
Device-Bound Passkeys
Device-bound passkeys remain on a particular authenticator, such as a compatible hardware security key.
If that authenticator is lost or unavailable, the user needs another registered credential or an account-recovery method.
FIDO distinguishes these two models and identifies additional authenticators as an important option for maintaining access. FIDO Alliance
Practical implication: A user who loses a phone is not necessarily locked out, but access should never depend on an assumption that every passkey is synchronized.
Passkeys Do Not Replace Every Website Security Control
A stronger login method does not fix unrelated weaknesses.
You still need to protect:
- Authenticated sessions.
- Administrative permissions.
- Account-recovery procedures.
- Passkey registration and removal.
- Website software and dependencies.
- Sensitive account changes.
For example, if an attacker steals an authenticated session, they may not need to repeat the initial login.
Treat passkeys as part of account security, supported by secure sessions and carefully controlled credential management. OWASP’s passkey guidance addresses these surrounding controls as well as authentication itself. OWASP Cheat Sheet Series
Account Recovery Deserves Early Attention
Recovery is one of the most important decisions in a passkey rollout.
Ask how users regain access when they:
- Lose their only authenticator.
- Cannot access their passkey provider.
- Change devices or operating systems.
- Delete a credential accidentally.
- Lose access to their recovery email.
Offer More Than One Suitable Access Route
Depending on your audience and risk level, options may include additional registered passkeys, a separate security key, recovery codes, or a controlled support process.
These are design choices to evaluate, rather than a universal checklist. Document which options are available and what evidence each requires.
Review Weaker Fallback Methods
Adding passkeys does not remove risks from a password or email-based fallback that can still grant account access.
For example, an account may retain a phishable password login even when its owner usually chooses a passkey. Evaluate the whole access path, including recovery, rather than only the preferred login button.
Protect recovery and credential changes with controls appropriate to the account’s sensitivity. OWASP Cheat Sheet Series
Should You Remove Passwords Immediately?
For many existing websites, a staged rollout is a practical starting point.
That is an implementation recommendation, not a requirement of the technology.
A possible sequence is:
- Confirm that your platform supports passkeys.
- Test enrollment and sign-in internally.
- Offer passkeys to a limited group.
- Review device compatibility and recovery outcomes.
- Expand availability.
- Reassess whether password fallback remains necessary.
Customer accounts and administrator accounts may need different policies. A shop’s occasional buyers have different access needs from staff who can change payment settings or export customer records.
What to Check Before Adding Passkeys
1. Platform Support
Ask your website platform, identity provider, or developer:
- Does the solution support passkeys through WebAuthn?
- Which account types and login pages are covered?
- Can users register and remove multiple credentials?
- What recovery options are provided?
- How are security updates maintained?
For a WordPress site, distinguish administrator login from customer or membership login. Support for one does not establish support for every account flow.
2. Browser and Device Compatibility
Check the actual combinations your audience uses.
Your test plan should cover:
| Scenario | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Returning user on the same device | Credential discovery and successful sign-in |
| New device | Synced access or a clear alternative |
| Cross-device sign-in | Whether the supported flow works reliably |
| Shared computer | Clear guidance about where credentials are saved |
| Unsupported environment | An understandable alternative |
| Cancelled prompt | A usable return to the login page |
| Lost authenticator | Recovery without an insecure shortcut |
Cross-device authentication can be supported, but exact behavior depends on the environment and authenticator. FIDO Alliance
3. Domain Planning
Passkeys are scoped using a relying party identifier, or RP ID, based on a domain.
Your developer should choose it deliberately, especially if sign-in spans subdomains or you anticipate a domain migration. Domain changes can require migration planning rather than simply redirecting a login page. web.dev
4. Server-Side Verification
A browser prompt alone does not establish a secure implementation.
Use a maintained authentication solution or suitable WebAuthn library. Server verification needs to check the expected challenge, origin, relying-party scope, signature, and required verification conditions. Web guides
Website owners do not need to implement the cryptography themselves, but they should know who maintains this security-critical component.
Explain Passkeys in Plain Language
People should understand what they are setting up.
A helpful introduction could say:
“Create a passkey to sign in using your device’s screen lock, such as a fingerprint, face recognition, or PIN.”
Follow with brief instructions about credential management and recovery.
Avoid saying “your fingerprint is your password,” because that misrepresents the mechanism.
Give users a clear way to cancel, try another method, or ask for help.
Measure the Rollout
Track outcomes that reveal whether the implementation works for your audience:
- Enrollment attempts and completions.
- Sign-in success.
- Failed or cancelled prompts.
- Use of fallback methods.
- Recovery requests.
- Support issues by browser or device category.
Interpret results carefully. Users who adopt passkeys voluntarily may differ from those who do not.
Also review costs such as platform upgrades, integration work, testing, support training, and ongoing maintenance. A managed service can reduce development work, but its recovery controls and commercial terms still need evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are passkeys safer than passwords?
Passkeys address important password weaknesses, particularly reusable-secret phishing and password reuse. Overall account security still depends on correct implementation, device protection, sessions, and recovery. developers.google.com
2. Does my website receive users’ fingerprints or face scans?
No. In a WebAuthn flow, biometric verification happens locally. Your website receives a cryptographic response rather than the biometric data. Level 3
3. Can users have several passkeys for one account?
Yes. Your implementation can allow multiple credentials for an account. Provide a clear management interface and protect the process of adding or removing them. OWASP Cheat Sheet Series
4. Do passkeys replace two-factor authentication?
A passkey with required local user verification can combine possession of an authenticator with a PIN or biometric check. Whether it satisfies a particular assurance or compliance requirement depends on the implementation and applicable policy. Do not assume every passkey deployment meets every requirement. Level 3
5. What happens if someone loses their phone?
They may retain access through a synced passkey on another supported device, another registered authenticator, or your recovery procedure. The outcome depends on how their credentials and account were configured.
Conclusion
Passkeys give website owners a way to reduce reliance on reusable passwords and offer phishing-resistant sign-in.
Start by reviewing platform support, domain configuration, and account recovery. Test the complete experience—including device loss and failed login attempts—before expanding access. A successful rollout should make accounts easier to use while preserving a secure, understandable way to recover them.
