Web APIs for Identity Management

Browsers and the web community are continuously introducing new web browser interfaces for various use cases. Of particular interest here are APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for identity management (IDM).

Up to now, identity management in the browser has primarily been based on generic web technologies (HTML, cookies, redirects, …), and is now being more deeply integrated into the browser through the new interfaces. On the one hand, this ensures the desired functionality even as privacy requirements increase and web browsers become more restrictive (e.g. restricting “bounce redirects” and third-party cookies). Furthermore, IDM-specific browser APIs enable new use cases, such as deeper integration with the operating system or access to hardware.

Examples of such IDM-specific web APIs include the Digital Credentials API (DC API), Federated Credential Management (FedCM), and the Web Authentication API (WebAuthn).

Within the scope of this project, current APIs are analyzed and their state of development evaluated. In addition, current drafts and discussions in the area of IDM-specific web standards are examined.