Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Mozilla Persona VS OpenID

Compare Mozilla Persona VS OpenID and see what are their differences

Mozilla Persona logo Mozilla Persona

Mozilla Persona was a decentralized authentication system for the web, based on the open BrowserID protocol prototyped by Mozilla and standardized by IETF.

OpenID logo OpenID

OpenID is a safe, faster and easier way to log in to web sites.
Not present
  • OpenID Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-20

Mozilla Persona features and specs

  • Simplified User Experience
    Mozilla Persona offers a simplified experience for users by allowing them to use a single login for multiple websites, reducing the need to remember multiple passwords.
  • Privacy-Focused
    Persona is designed with a strong emphasis on privacy, minimizing the amount of data shared with third parties and ensuring that authentication information is not stored on external servers.
  • Decentralized Authentication
    The system uses email address verification without relying on any central authority, allowing users more control over their identity online.
  • Ease of Integration
    For developers, integrating Persona into websites can be straightforward due to its simple API and clear documentation.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, developers can inspect, modify, and improve the code, promoting transparency and community involvement.

Possible disadvantages of Mozilla Persona

  • Limited Adoption
    Mozilla Persona did not gain widespread adoption, which limited its usefulness for users as fewer websites supported it.
  • Dependency on Email Providers
    The system relies heavily on email providers for identity verification, which can be a point of failure if email services are unreliable or compromised.
  • Termination of Support
    Mozilla discontinued active development and support for Persona. This lack of ongoing support made it less attractive for long-term use.
  • User Confusion
    Some users found the concept of password-less login confusing, as it diverged from the traditional username and password paradigm they were accustomed to.
  • Security Concerns
    Though designed with security in mind, relying on emails for identity verification could pose risks if users' email accounts are insecure.

OpenID features and specs

  • Single Sign-On
    OpenID allows users to log into multiple websites using a single set of credentials, simplifying the login process and reducing password fatigue.
  • Decentralized Authentication
    OpenID operates in a decentralized manner, meaning users can choose their identity providers, giving them more control over their online identity.
  • Improved User Experience
    By reducing the number of times users need to enter login information, OpenID can streamline the user experience across different platforms.
  • Enhanced Privacy
    OpenID allows users to manage their identity, providing them with the option to share only necessary information with websites.
  • Increased Security through Reduced Password Usage
    With fewer passwords to remember and enter, users can focus on creating stronger passwords for their OpenID accounts, potentially increasing overall security.

Possible disadvantages of OpenID

  • Reliance on Identity Provider
    Users depend heavily on their chosen OpenID provider. If the provider experiences downtime or a security breach, user's ability to log in to various services can be impacted.
  • Complexity in Implementation
    Implementing OpenID can be complex and requires significant development resources, which might be a barrier for smaller websites or developers.
  • Potential Privacy Concerns
    Although OpenID enhances privacy, it also puts pressure on identity providers to manage and protect user data adequately. Any data mishandling can affect user privacy.
  • Fragmentation of Standards
    The existence of multiple identity standards and specifications can create confusion and compatibility issues, leading to a fragmented user experience.
  • Dependent on Internet Access
    Like many online authentication methods, OpenID requires constant internet access, which can be a limitation in regions with unstable internet connectivity.

Mozilla Persona videos

Jed Pearson explains Mozilla Persona

More videos:

  • Review - Beyond Passwords: Secure Authentication with Mozilla Persona

OpenID videos

An Introduction To OpenID Connect

More videos:

  • Review - OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect (in plain English)
  • Review - What is Microsoft identity platform OpenID Connect certified? | One Dev Question: Hirsch Singhal

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Mozilla Persona and OpenID)
SSH
100 100%
0% 0
Identity And Access Management
File Transfer
100 100%
0% 0
Security & Privacy
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Mozilla Persona and OpenID. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenID seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Mozilla Persona mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Mozilla Persona yet. Tracking of Mozilla Persona recommendations started around Mar 2021.

OpenID mentions (3)

  • 4 Cognito User Pools features you might not know about
    Cognito User Pools is a fully managed, OpenID Connect-compatible identity provider. It serves as a user directory service that handles authentication and authorization for application users. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Top 7 API Authentication Methods Compared
    OpenID Connect builds on OAuth 2.0 by adding an identity layer, making it a go-to choice for applications that need both authentication and authorization. Developed by the OpenID Foundation, it's widely used by major players like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Bluesky partners with Namecheap to power domains as usernames
    Certainly _buying_ domain names to be your identity is new, but OpenID[1] was doing basically that 15 years ago. Add a few meta tags to your website homepage, use that homepage as your "identity" to log in to websites, and they'd up your configured identity provider to do the login & request name/email/whatever else. You weren't locked in to a particular provider, since you logged in as _your_ webpage and could... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Mozilla Persona and OpenID, you can also consider the following products

FileZilla - FileZilla is an FTP, or file transfer protocol, client. It lets individuals transfer single files or batches to a web server. For many years, FTP was the standard for website design. Read more about FileZilla.

OAuth - OAuth is an open standard for authorization. It allows users to share their private resources (e.g.

PuTTY - Popular free terminal application. Mostly used as an SSH client.

BugMeNot - BugMeNot is a free Internet service that provides usernames and passwords to allow users to bypass the registration process for websites.

Ninite - Ninite is the easiest way to install software.

ASP.NET SAML - ASP.NET SAML is an open-source authentication utility that has been used for exchanging authentication and authorization data between the channels.