Onboarding new users is one of the biggest hurdles for Web3 dApps. Creating a Web3 wallet is still a painful process for most users who are new to crypto, because it usually involves downloading an app or browser extension, purchasing cryptocurrency on an exchange, and understanding and saving a seed phrase. For these reasons, conversion rates for new user sign-ups tend to be very low in Web3 as compared to Web2.

What is FastAuth?

FastAuth addresses this problem through a familiar, “Web2-like” onboarding flow: users can sign up with just an email, and they don’t need to save a seed phrase or password. Instead, their FastAuth account and keys are secured using “Passkeys,” a new technology that replaces passwords with biometrics such as fingerprints or FaceID linked to a device. 

Users can also recover access to their account at any time by using their email through the “MPC recovery” service. Developers can also choose to subsidize gas costs for a certain smart contract so that users can start interacting with their dApp immediately, without having to fund their own account. 

Who can apply for the FastAuth SDK Beta?

FastAuth is currently in a closed Beta. Any developer and/or founder building NEAR apps transacting on NEAR can apply for access to the SDK. The goal of this Beta is to collect feedback from founders and developers to help inform our roadmap and upcoming releases (see more on these below). 

Pagoda will request feedback from participants in the Beta, as they start building with FastAuth.

How do I learn more and get started?

You can try FastAuth for yourself by creating a new account on near.org. 

You can also apply to be part of the beta, and check out the SDK documentation. 

What’s coming next?

Pagoda is planning to release some additional key features later this year, including the ability to “white-label” the sign-up and sign-in flows, as well as multi-chain support. 

The post FastAuth SDK Beta Now Available appeared first on NEAR Protocol.

By bringing together several pieces of breakthrough wallet technology for the first time, photos can be instantly converted into NFTs and stored permanently on the NEAR blockchain — all without users needing to create seed phrases or pre-loaded wallets. 

A new type of wallet 

Mintbase’s new wallet streamlines the blockchain user experience like never before thanks to innovations on the NEAR blockchain. 

FastAuth, created by NEAR, is an open-source protocol that provides an onboarding and account recovery process similar to what you find in Web2. It uses meta transactions, allowing a third party to pay the gas fee on behalf of the user, solving one of the most significant problems new users face in the blockchain world.

The other killer feature is NEAR’s built-in account abstraction system. Users no longer need to deal with seed phrases or require NEAR to mint. Instead, a full access key is stored in the user’s passkey system, so biometric signing will work in a noncustodial way without any local storage interactions.

This means no more seed phrases, and no more having to pre-load the wallet with currency before use. Instead, users of Mintbase’s wallet will be able to use and interact with blockchain in the same way they would with Web2 apps. 

Celebrating the essence of Rakhi  

To celebrate Raksha Bandhan, the popular Indiana festival where sisters tie a talisman or amulet called a Rakhi around the wrists of their brothers, users will be able to capture the moment with a photo and upload it instantly to the blockchain via the Mintbase wallet. 

The metadata will be permanently stored on the Arweave blockchain and a NFT of the moment will be minted on the NEAR blockchain and delivered back to the user. It’s a sizable step forward in showcasing how far Web3 technology has come in making the user experience easier and more familiar to non-blockchain users. 

As part of this celebration, there’s more than just memories to win. Participants can win prizes for NFTs they created and share them on X (formerly Twitter) with the hashtag #RakhisNEAR.  

For more details, please visit https://rakhi.mintbase.xyz. Participate, share, and make this Raksha Bandhan more memorable with Mintbase and NEAR Foundation.

The post Mintbase Brings New Open Web Wallet Tech to Families Celebrating Raksha Bandhan appeared first on NEAR Protocol.

The following terms and conditions (the “Terms”) govern the use of the NEAR Foundation Fast Auth Competition (the “Competition”) provided by NEAR Foundation (“we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”). By participating in the Competition, you (“you” or “Participant”) agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not be eligible to participate in the Competition or receive any rewards. For more information on FastAuth, please visit the link here. 

2. Eligibility:

The Competition is available only to individuals who are at least 18 years old. By participating in the Competition, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years old.

3. Participation in the Competition:

We are excited to provide NEAR users with the ability to win, you acknowledge and agree that any information you provide may be used by us in connection with the Competition. To participate, users must follow these steps: 

1. Participants must submit a video of their screen while opening a NEAR wallet using FastAuth. The video should be in the form of a screen recording. All videos must be legible and any sensitive information can be blacked out. 
2. The Participant must submit the video to their personal Twitter account using the hashtags #FastAuthTimeTrial and #NEARistheBOS by June 9th, 13:00 UTC.
3. Videos submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. 
4. The time taken to open the wallet, will be taken into consideration. 
5. Winners will be notified via Twitter and announced on the Near social media channels on June 12th.
6. Competition Prize:

Five Selected winners will be announced and contacted via email. The Competition prize consists of: 100 NEAR tokens for each winner. 

5. Disclaimer:

The Prize is awarded ‘as is’ and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The Competition organizers and affiliated companies make no representations or warranties regarding the prize or its use and are not responsible for any claims arising out of or in connection with the prize or its use. The Competition event and prizes are solely sponsored and organized by us, and any reference to third-party companies or organizations is for informational purposes only. 

7. Limitation of Liability:

The Competition organizers, sponsors, and affiliated companies are not responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to property or person, including death, arising out of participation in the Competition or use or misuse of the prize.

8. Intellectual Property:

The Service, including all content provided by the expert(s) or other participants, is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any content provided by the Service without our prior written consent.

9. Modification of Terms:

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time without notice. Your continued use of the Service following any changes to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

10. Governing Law:

These Terms and your use of the Service are governed by the laws of Switzerland without regard to its conflict of laws provisions.

11. Dispute Resolution:

Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms or the Service will be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the Switzerland Arbitration Association.

12. Entire Agreement:

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and us with respect to the Competition and supersede all prior or contemporaneous agreements and understandings, whether written or oral.

13. Contact Information:

If you have any questions or comments about these Terms, please contact us at social@near.foundation.

The post NEAR FastAuth Competition Terms and Conditions appeared first on NEAR Protocol.

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. 

The post Get to Know the BOS: FastAuth for Easy, Web2 Style Onboarding and Account Recovery appeared first on NEAR Protocol.