What Do Passkeys Look Like?

What Do Passkeys Look Like?#

Passkeys themselves are not something you can physically see, like a traditional password or key. Instead, passkeys are a cryptographic pair (public and private key) stored securely on your device, often linked to your biometric data, such as a fingerprint or facial recognition, or a device-based PIN.

Passkeys are cryptographic pairs stored on your device.
Typically, passkeys are linked to biometric data or device-based authentication.
They are invisible to the user, but integral in secure authentication processes.

Understanding Passkeys: A Deeper Dive#

Passkeys, unlike traditional passwords, don’t have a visual form. They operate behind the scenes to provide a seamless and secure authentication experience. Here's how they work and what you need to know:

Cryptographic Pair: Passkeys are composed of two cryptographic keys—a public key and a private key. The public key is shared with the service you're logging into, while the private key remains securely stored on your device. The interaction between these keys during the authentication process is what verifies your identity.
Biometric Integration: Most commonly, passkeys are associated with biometric data like a fingerprint or facial recognition. When you attempt to log in, your device will ask for biometric confirmation, which triggers the private key to sign in.
Device-Based Authentication: In some cases, instead of biometrics, a PIN or other device-specific method is used. This means the passkey is tied to your device, adding another layer of security.
User Experience: From a user’s perspective, passkeys simplify the login process. You don’t see the passkey itself; instead, you interact with a fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, or a PIN entry. This makes the authentication process both more secure and more convenient, as there’s no need to remember or enter a password.

About Corbado

Corbado is the Passkey Intelligence Platform for CIAM teams running consumer authentication at scale. We help you see what IDP logs and generic analytics tools can't: which devices, OS versions, browsers and credential managers support passkeys, why enrollments don't turn into logins, where the WebAuthn flow fails and when an OS / browser update silently breaks login, all without replacing Okta, Auth0, Ping, Cognito or your in-house IDP. Two products: Corbado Observe layers observability for passkeys and any other login method. Corbado Connect adds managed passkeys with analytics built in (alongside your IDP). VicRoads runs passkeys for 5M+ users with Corbado (+80% passkey activation). Talk to a Passkey Expert →