Unikname Connect plugin

[Freez (Damien Lecan)]

Summary: Next-gen authentication plugin, with Unikname Connect

GitHub: GitHub - unik-name/discourse-unikname-connect-authentication-plugin: Home of Unikname Connect plugin for Discourse Forum
Install: Follow the plugin installation guide.

Features

This plugin enhances the login/signup experience for email, Facebook, Github… authentications and provides an additional authentication mode with Unikname Connect: a very simple and privacy-by-design strong authentication.

Unikname Connect coexists very well with other authentication solutions such as email and password.

Value

• Great UX for a better sign-up conversion rate
• Benefits of Unikname privacy-by-design next-gen authentication
  • strong authentication, much simpler than traditional 2FA
  • instant secure login
  • untraceable authentication
  • rewarding capabilities for users*
  • tamper-proof User ID (no central database, no password)

*NOTA: Unikname rewards users who want to make the Internet a safer place thanks to the uns.network blockchain and its UNS token. More information on our help center.

Better than a demo, you can try it on our own discourse forum

Then, when you are on the screen below, choose “Get it right now” to install the app and get your own @unikname ID one time for all.
You will be able to use it to sign-up and login to any forum or any websites using Unikname Connect.

Details

• A new frictionless and streamlined sign-up process, with a redesigned UI, even if you are not using Unikname Connect

Revisited sign-up by email

Revisited sign-up by Github with an authenticated email - also available for Twitter, Facebook …

Revisited sign-up with Unikname Connect, or with any Social Auth without user’s email

• A clear starting screen allowing users to choose the authentication mode they wish

• Multiple authentication modes, including Unikname Connect*:
  • Email + password
  • Social authentications (e.g. Login with Facebook, Login with Google…)
  • Unikname Connect
• User’s emails are optional for users coming from Social Auth without emails** and Unikname Connect

• User fields are displayed at the end of the process

This sample is taken from https://tech.korben.info/

• UI colours based on your Discourse themes

*NOTA: All authentication modes can be enabled all together or selectively. Unikname remains an option and the plugin can be used only for its great UX value!

**NOTA: Some users are identified by their phone number in some Social Networks so they can’t sign-up. Problem solved!

Configuration

Your forum must be using HTTPS, and have force_https turned on

Organization Account

Unikname Connect authentication solution is free for forums.
Nevertheless, you need to create an organization account to get your credentials to enable secure connections to authentication services.

Then, install and setup the plugin following the instructions How to integrate Unikname Connect with Discourse?

Basic Configuration Options

• unikname_connect_enabled: Enable Unikname Connect authentication

• unikname_connect_business_account_id: Your organization’s Account ID for Unikname Connect authentication

• unikname_connect_api_secret_key: API Secret Key for Unikname Connect authentication

Advanced Configuration Options

• unikname_connect_allow_association_change: Allow users to disconnect and reconnect their Discourse accounts from the Unikname Connect provider

• unikname_connect_overrides_email: On every login, override the user’s email using the unikname value

• unikname_connect_verbose_logging: Log detailed openid-connect authentication information to /logs . Keep this disabled during normal use.

Security

This plugin is fully based on the OAuth2.0 and OpenID Connect standard protocol. Unikname Connect is an additional protocol layer providing strong authentication and privacy-by-design on its core, relying on blockchain technology.

Unikname™ is secured by the uns.network blockchain acting as a DPKI (Decentralized Public Key Infrastructure) and a Decentralized Identity Provider, making the solution really unique.

Credentials

Unikname is member of the W3C and the Decentralized Identity Foundation and contributes to design the web 3.0 Self-Sovereign ID (SSID) and next-gen Authentication Standards based on blockchain.
Unikname has won a cybersecurity contest in April 2020 for its Unikname Connect solution (InnoCherche in France).

Release notes

2020-11-25

• Handle user fields

2020-10-30

• Initial version

Support / Reporting an Issue

Before to report an issue here or in Github, you are welcome to open a discussion with our
support on the Unikname Forum (a Discourse one )

Quick links and full documentation

Code on github
Unikname Help Center
How to integrate Unikname Connect with Discourse?
How to sign-up to any Discourse Forum with your @unikname
How to login with your @unikname if your already have an account

[RGJ (Richard - Communiteq)]

Ok, this looks pretty cool… but:

@Freez

and get your own @unikname ID one time for all.

Actually: buy your unikname ID except if you are happy with a very long ID

Signing up for a business account requires me to send information by email. The privacy policy does not cover this. The cost of a business account is unclear, but the “business development team” is going to call me by phone. That sounds scary. Maybe you can clarify a bit.

[Freez (Damien Lecan)]

@RGJ

this looks pretty cool

Thank you!

@RGJ

Actually: buy your unikname ID except if you are happy with a very long ID

We have all dreamed about an Internet where everything would be free. But today, a usual, if it’s free, you are the product (= stealing your data, and reselling them everywhere to send you ads and spam).

With the independant delegates of the UNS.network blockchain who ensure the sustainability and security of your @unikname, we are building something else, that can’t be free, unfortunately.

Other things to consider about the paid-model, are the spamming and squatting protections (they are real plagues for all naming systems).

But if you are a human and not a bot, they are many ways to get shorter names

@RGJ

Signing up for a business account requires me to send information by email. The privacy policy does not cover this.

Nice catch, we are still working on it.

@RGJ

The cost of a business account is unclear

Public pricings will be published in a few days, be patient

@RGJ

but the “business development team” is going to call me by phone. That sounds scary.

What does sound scary for you? Being called by phone or the “business development team”?
We are still a small team that wishes to be bigger

Today, using the phone is unfortunately mandatory as our “business on-boarding process” is not automated enough. We can also work by email/Signal/… if you prefer.
Our “business on-boarding process” will be fully automated by the end of the year.

[RGJ (Richard - Communiteq)]

@Freez

Being called by phone or the “business development team”?
(…)
Today, using the phone is unfortunately mandatory as our “business on-boarding process” is not automated enough.

“Business on-boarding” sounds like validation, “business development” sounds like you’re going to try to sell something.

[Freez (Damien Lecan)]

I think we get what you mean. We are too influenced by the meaning of the word “business” which we use a lot in French, but the meaning in English is slightly different.

We will rework the wordings to match with our values and the ethics of our product.

Thank you @RGJ

[Freez (Damien Lecan)]

New version of the plugin: it handles now user fields at the end of the process.

[jack-sparrow]

Korben, the famous French Blogger, is using Unikname for his Discourse forum!

Unikname - Un identifiant universel, privé et confidentiel pour vous connecter...

Looks great to jump over discourse forums, with the same anonymous ID!
And other websites : wordpress, woocommerce, matomo…

Other discourse forum are welcome

[jack-sparrow]

here is the link to Korben Discourse Forum:

Korben Communauté