Resources for Learning Auth
If you have an interest on internet identity, security, and authentication, the resources below have been extremely helpful to me. I hope that they can be helpful to you too.
Learning Resources
- Identity 101: This talk was my introduction to auth, and even though is a couple years old, it still is the first thing I tell people to watch if they want to understand internet identity and authentication.
- The Copenhagen Book: I have found no other resource to as complete and accurate as this book. If you really want to learn how to build authentication services, you must read this bug. It will get you up to speed and equip you with all you need to roll your own auth.
- Web Authentication APIs: If you want to learn how to build great authentication flows in the web you probably should start here. It covers email/password, social authentication, and even passkeys.
- An Illustrated Guide to OAuth and OpenID Connect: Great introduction to OAuth and OIDC.
- The OAuth 2.0 Authorization Framework: The original OAuth 2.0 specification. It can be a little dense, but if you truly want to understand OAuth you should read this.
Services and Frameworks
- Better Auth: IMO this is currently the most solid library for building authentication in your product right now. This isn’t a third-party service, so with this you’re technically “rolling your own auth”
- WorkOS: I’ve used WorkOS extensively, and I’ve found they truly deliver in their promise of making your app “enterprise ready.” If you are considering a third-party identity service, I strong recommend you check them out.
- Clerk: Strong contender for identity service. I don’t have a lot of experience working with it but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.
From Me
I’ve written and presented on the subject of auth a few times already, so if you’re interested please check it out.
- Auth 101: My own version of a “introduction to auth” lecture in a long-form post. I’ve also presented at the Remix Austin meetup in early 2025. You can find that presentation here.
- Getting Started with Passkeys and WebAuthn: My talk about WebAuthn and Passkeys at the UtahJS 2024 conference.