We are excited to announce the release of Flexible Identifiers, now available in Open Early Access! This new feature set is designed to enhance the customization and security of your user authentication process. Including the option to configure Phone Number as a Sole Identifier!
What Are Flexible Identifiers?
Flexible Identifiers allow you to configure multiple identifiers for your users, providing unprecedented control and flexibility. This feature supports various combinations of email, phone number, and username to serve as primary identifiers based on your specific business needs.
Configurable Login Experiences:
With Flexible Identifiers, you can tailor your login experience to fit your user and security requirements. Here are some of the configurations you can implement:
- Email as a Sole Identifier
- Phone Number as a Sole Identifier
- Username as a Sole Identifier
- Combinations of Email, Phone Number, and Username
Staggered Rollout Approach:
We are implementing this release in a staggered approach to ensure a smooth transition and to maintain the highest quality standards. It could take between 2-4 weeks for these changes to be visible in your dashboard. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we roll out this significant upgrade.
Why Upgrade?
The introduction of Flexible Identifiers aligns with our commitment to providing robust, adaptable, and secure identity solutions. Whether you’re looking to enhance security measures, prevent fake account creation, or ensure accurate user data, Flexible Identifiers empower you to create a user authentication environment that meets today’s diverse and demanding digital needs.
We encourage you to explore these new capabilities and see how they can benefit your operations. As always, our team is here to support you every step of the way, ensuring a smooth and successful implementation.
Important: Testing and Reviewing Limitations
Before activating Flexible Identifiers in your live environment, we strongly recommend conducting thorough testing in a development environment. This step is crucial to ensure that the integration meets your specific needs without disrupting your current operations.
Additionally, please take a moment to review the Limitations Page in our documentation. This page outlines important details and constraints of the Flexible Identifiers feature, providing you with a comprehensive understanding of its capabilities and any restrictions. Being fully informed will help you optimize the implementation and usage of this feature.
By carefully testing and reviewing the provided documentation, you can confidently leverage Flexible Identifiers to enhance your authentication processes, ensuring a seamless and secure user experience.
How to Activate Flexible Identifiers:
Activating this feature is straightforward and can be done directly within your dashboard. Here’s how:
- Navigate to the Auth0 Dashboard > Authentication > Database.
- Select the Database Connection you wish to modify.
- Go to the Attributes tab.
- Click the Activate button within the New Attributes Configuration.
- You will be prompted to confirm that you’ve tested these settings in a Development environment. Click Proceed to finalize the activation.
Once activated, the new configuration options will become available, ensuring a seamless transition while retaining your existing settings for email and username configurations.
Bonus - Attributes vs Identifiers
In our system, attributes represent the various pieces of user data that can be stored, such as email, phone number, and username. However, not all attributes serve the same function. While all identifiers must be attributes, the reverse isn’t necessarily true. Only specific attributes can be elevated to the status of identifiers. An identifier is a unique attribute used to distinctly recognize a user within the system. For instance, while email, phone, and username can uniquely identify an individual and hence serve as identifiers, other attributes may simply contribute to the user’s profile without possessing this identification capability. This distinction is crucial for setting up effective and secure authentication processes.
Have Feedback?
If you have suggestions on how we can continue improving our product, please let us know either through a support ticket or on the Auth0 community site. Your input is invaluable to us!