The developers at Block.one, a Cayman Islands-registered open-source software publisher focused on the ongoing development of EOS, one of the largest platforms for building and deploying decentralized applications (dApps), have released a set of Reference Authenticator apps.
The apps have been launched as “experimental reference Open Source Software”, Block.one’s development team clarified. As noted in a blog post published on May 29, 2019, by the leading blockchain-powered software developer, the Reference Authenticator apps are available for iOS users.
Key Management and Signing Protected by Biometric Authentication
The distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based software allows users to log in and approve transactions from web-based applications running on the mobile Safari browser, Block.one’s blog mentioned. Additionally, it stated users may access the Reference Authenticator from “other native iOS apps on the same device.”
As explained in the software publisher’s blog, key management and signing are performed in Apple’s Secure Enclave and/or Keychain and are “protected with the device’s biometric authentication.”
Signing in and Approving Transactions via Google Chrome, Safari
In order to provide this type of security, the apps “leverage” the recently-introduced EOSIO software development kit (SDK) for Swift library and its “Vault Signature Provider.” This type of functionality allows users to authenticate and sign transactions from third-party mobile apps, Block.one’s blog explained.
The software development firm’s blog further noted that the Reference Authenticator apps are now also available as a Google Chrome Extension. This will allow users to sign in and approve their transactions directly from web-based apps that are opened using the Google Chrome browser (from both mobile and desktop computers). A secret passphrase, managed by the user, is used to secure the key management and signing process.
Tropical Stay App Demonstrates How Login and Transaction Verification Process Works
Web-based apps are also able to integrate (or are compatible) with the EOSIO Reference Authenticator apps, by using the Universal Authenticator Library and “the EOSIO Reference Authenticator plugin for UAL.”
Block.one’s latest Reference Authenticator release package also includes a newly developed Tropical Stay app, which shows how the sign in and transaction verification process works. Moreover, developers may directly use EOS Javascript (EOSJS) and an appropriate signature provider to accomplish the same tasks.
Notably, the EOSIO Reference Authenticator apps are “entirely chain agnostic” and they have been implemented in a manner that does not require communication with EOSIO nodes directly.
