Get to Know the BOS: FastAuth for Easy, Web2 Style Onboarding and Account Recovery

With the recent launch of the NEAR Blockchain Operating system (BOS) on near.org, came one of the first and most powerful features — FastAuth. 

With FastAuth, BOS users get a better than Web2-style onboarding experience, allowing them to easily create an account for any app on the BOS without a new password or the need to buy any crypto. And perhaps most powerfully for developers, FastAuth is both the easiest and fastest way to get people to try their new components and apps, yet another reason why developers will want to build on the BOS. This helps dramatically lower the threshold for adoption and opens the door to bringing billions of Web2 users into the Web3 space.

To get up to speed on FastAuth, here is a FastAuth primer with some product demo videos. 

Easy onboarding and email recovery with FastAuth

FastAuth gives users the power to quickly and easily create a single account that can be used for any website or app that integrates with the Blockchain Operating System (BOS). This feature makes FastAuth an ideal tool for developers building components on NEAR. 

With a Web2-style onboarding experience that puts the user experience front and center, users can create a free account using biometrics, phone prompts, and an email address. This means that users can quickly interact with an app but also easily re-authenticate to the app using the same or different devices. 

Since most users are accustomed to centralized authentication methods like “Sign in with Google”, Web3 account management using seed phrases and wallets have, until now, created a significant barrier to entry for many people. By combining FastAuth with decentralized email recovery, users no longer need to remember seed phrases or install third party wallet applications. Users can recover their accounts through a “Single Sign-on” (SSO) process with the email they used at registration. 

Account recovery is also decentralized and does not give custodial access to full access keys to any single custodian. It is accomplished through a process called “multi-party computation”. This finally paves a way for mass adoption with an easy, secure, and decentralized account recovery system.

With FastAuth, one of the most challenging parts in onboarding users to Web3 no longer exists. Now, users can set up a BOS account quicker than creating a Gmail, Facebook, Tiktok, or Instagram account. And developers can deliver their Web3 components, apps, and experiences more seamlessly than ever. 

No third-party applications required

FastAuth also removes the need to download any third-party applications. Everything just works seamlessly right from the browser on your desktop or mobile device.

By creating an easy, user-centric experience, FastAuth makes the open web accessible to everyone right from the get-go and opens the door to mainstream adoption. Anyone developing components on the BOS can leverage this user-friendly experience to quickly and intuitively get their apps in front of users. 

Create an account without crypto

BOS FastAuth has another great trick up its sleeve. Until now, getting started in  Web3 and interacting with apps meant acquiring crypto first. 

With FastAuth, new users can get started right away without having to buy or be gifted crypto. This is a game changer for developers, enterprises, and end-users alike. Through FastAuth’s use of NEAR’s Meta Transactions and Zero Balance Accounts, users can register an account free of charge. Developers can also use this to their advantage as Meta Transactions paired with relayers, which allow them to sponsor initial interactions for new users without needing to purchase $NEAR. 

This streamlined onboarding experience allows developers to significantly increase conversion rates for people trying their components and apps for the first time. FastAuth also expands an app and website’s audience by making it more accessible to mainstream users. 

FastAuth creates an easy way for enterprises to integrate Web3 and crypto technology into their business. With just a few lines of code, they can onboard existing users into powerful new community and commerce experiences that are accessible, highly secure , and decentralized. 

End users can also get started using Web3 apps and experiences in an easy, accessible way. Setting up a secure  fully user-owned  account now only takes seconds. 

What’s next for FastAuth 

While FastAuth is already enabling fast and simple onboarding of mainstream users as well as streamlining component-building for developers on the BOS, a number of other features and upgrades are already in the works: 

• The ability to extend relayers and FastAuth to additional gateways beyond near.org
• Further MPC decentralization
• Multi-chain compatibility 
• Two-factor authentication

Stay tuned to near.org for new FastAuth features and upgrades, as they are rolled out.