Identity/Firefox Accounts: Difference between revisions

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=What Is Firefox Accounts? =
= Firefox Accounts =


Firefox Accounts is a consumer account system which provides access to services run by Mozilla, such as [https://marketplace.firefox.com/ Firefox Marketplace] and the [https://wiki.mozilla.org/User_Services/Sync next version of Firefox Sync]. A user can sign in with a Firefox Account to all her "Foxes": Firefox on Desktop, Firefox for Android, and Firefox OS. Signing into a Firefox browser or device gives the user access to integrated Mozilla Services on that browser or device that requires authentication (e.g., Firefox Sync). Longer term we envision that non-Mozilla services and applications will be able to delegate authentication to Firefox Accounts. Relying services will manage their own data, but rely on Firefox Accounts for authentication services.
Firefox Accounts is the account system for Firefox users to access hosted services provided by Mozilla.


=FAQ=
A user can sign in with a Firefox Account to any of her "Foxes" -  Firefox on Desktop, Firefox for Android, and Firefox OS - to access integrated services such as [https://wiki.mozilla.org/User_Services/Sync Firefox Sync] and [https://marketplace.firefox.com/ Firefox Marketplace].  She can also sign in to services on the web using a standard OAuth flow.


== Will I be required to create a Firefox Account to use Firefox? ==
For information on integrating a service with Firefox Accounts, visit the [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Tech/Firefox_Accounts Firefox Accounts portal on MDN].


No, of course not! Firefox Accounts will only be required for Mozilla Services that require authentication, such as Firefox Sync and advanced features on Firefox Marketplace like purchasing paid apps, adding app reviews etc.
For information on contributing to Firefox Accounts development, visit the [https://fxa.readthedocs.org developer documentation].


==How does a user create and sign in to a Firefox Account?==
To file a bug related to Firefox Accounts, you can use either [https://github.com/mozilla/fxa/issues/new Github] or [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=Cloud%20Services&component=Server:%20Firefox%20Accounts Bugzilla].
Firefox Accounts will work much like authentication works just about everywhere else. You create a Firefox Account with a verified email and password. You sign in to Firefox Accounts with your email and password.
 
==Why does Firefox Accounts require me to choose a password?==
The first relying service we're targeting with Firefox Accounts is Firefox Sync. Current Firefox Sync encrypts all your data in our servers, and we will continue to do so in the Firefox Accounts backed version of Sync. However, in the FxA backed version of Firefox Sync, we will encrypt your Sync data with a key derived from your Firefox Account password, instead a random key managed by the J-PAKE pairing protocol. This technique of using a password derived sync key is similar to how data protection in [https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/1181035?hl=en&ref_topic=1693469 Chrome Sync] works.
 
==How do relying Mozilla services authenticate an FxA user?==
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox_Accounts
 
==How does a user reset her Firefox Account password?==
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/ive-lost-my-firefox-sync-account-information#w_iaove-forgotten-my-sync-password-ae-how-do-i-reset-it_2
 
== What information does Firefox Accounts store about the user? ==
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox_Accounts#Firefox_Accounts_user_data
 
== Can I use Firefox Accounts to store user data for my application or service? ==
Firefox Accounts only stores information that will deliver significant user value across applications or is tightly related to the user's identity. It will not store user data for relying services. Relying Mozilla services can use Firefox Accounts for authentication, but application data storage is the responsibility of the individual applications.
 
 
==What's the difference between Persona and Firefox Accounts?==
Persona is not intended to provide you with a new account, and it's not a new account system. Persona is a federated login protocol. You use Persona to log in to relying sites, and it's not intended that you need to "sign up" for Persona before you can use it. If you would need to sign up for anything, you would need to create an account at an IdP that supports Persona.
 
One confusing point about Persona today is a service called the "Persona Fallback", which serves as a proxy IdP if your actual IdP doesn't support Persona (or isn't bridged), which just about every IdP except for Google and Yahoo. In this case, you currently have to sign up for a "Persona Fallback Account" (i.e. choose a password and verify your email) to use Persona.
 
But a Persona Fallback Account is not a Persona Account, it's not the long term vision of Persona, and that's not supposed to be the happy path of the Persona login experience.
 
More importantly, for the purposes of this question, a Persona Fallback Account is definitely not a Firefox Account.
 
So why Firefox Accounts and what will one do?
 
Mozilla needs an account database to deliver a fantastic, integrated experience across all its products. Unfortunately, delivering awesome services involves some less exciting, but still important aspects, like making sure users have had a chance to inspect our terms of service and privacy policies. We must also comply with local laws and regulations, e.g., [http://www.coppa.org/ COPPA]. It would be inconvenient for users to have to verify a terms of service, a privacy policy, and COPPA at each individual Mozilla service. We believe that users should only have to inspect our terms of service, privacy policy, and go through COPPA verification '''once''' for all our services. Firefox Accounts enables us to do that. One we get the basics down and enable single sign-on for relying Mozilla Services with your Firefox Account, we hope integrate Firefox Accounts with Persona on the Web and Firefox user agents to make logging in everywhere as painless as it should be.
 
== Can I use Persona to log in to my Firefox Account? ==
Not initially, but it's something we're investigating to add in the future.
 
== Can I use my Firefox Account to log in to non-Mozilla services? ==
Not initially, but it's something we're investigating to support in the future.
 
== Does Firefox Accounts provide email? ==
No.
 
== What services will use Firefox Accounts? ==
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox_Accounts#Services_that_use_Firefox_Accounts
 
== What do these terms mean? ==
* FTU, FTE: First Time Experience on Firefox OS
* FxA : Firefox Accounts. It may also refer to a user's particular Firefox Account.
* RP : Relying Party. Services that use Firefox Accounts for authentication and identity. Currently these are limited to services run by Mozilla.
* PiCL : Profile in the Cloud. This is a deprecated term that was used to refer to Firefox Accounts + attached services (i.e., relying parties).
 
 
== Is it possible to host your own Firefox accounts, like with Firefox Sync? ==
[https://docs.services.mozilla.com/howtos/run-fxa.html Yes.]
 
== Have a question not covered here? Add it in this section and we'll answer it! ==
 
Where is the FxA for Web addition to the Arch section below?
 
What are the similarities/differences between FxA for Web and the Dev work already being done for desktop and android?
 
=Architecture=
[[File:Firefox_Accounts_Architecture.png]]
 
[[File:Firefox_Accounts_and_Sync_Architecture.png]]
 
https://mana.mozilla.org/wiki/display/services/Firefox+Accounts+Architecture
 
 
== Cloud Services ==
 
Firefox Accounts Cloud Services is composed of several sub-services, including an '''auth server''' and a '''content server'''.
 
=== Auth Server ===
 
The Auth Server provides an HTTP API that:
 
* authenticates the user
* enables the user to authenticate to other services via BrowserID assertions
* enables change and reset password operations
 
Links:
* Code: https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-server
* API documentation: https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-server/blob/master/docs/api.md
* Dev deployment: https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-server#dev-deployment
* Python API client (primarily a reference client): https://github.com/warner/picl-spec-crypto
 
=== Content Server ===
 
The Content Server hosts static assets (HTML, Javascript, CSS, etc.) that support user interactions with the Firefox Accounts. The responsibilities of the Content Server include:
 
* hosting a Javascript library that supports interactions with the Auth Server
* hosting login and create account pages
* hosting password reset pages
* hosting landing pages for email verification links
 
Links:
* Code: https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-content-server
* Deployments:
** dev stable: https://accounts.dev.lcip.org/
** dev latest: https://accounts-latest.dev.lcip.org/
** prod: https://accounts.firefox.com/
 
=== JS Client Library ===
 
Firefox Accounts provides a Javascript client library for the Web that supports operations with Firefox Accounts. In addition to communicating with the Auth Server, it also performs local key stretching (PBKDF2 and scrypt) on the user's password before it's used in the API. It is hosted by the Content Server. This library was at one time called "Gherkin".
 
Links:
* Code: https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-js-client
* Key stretching details: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/AttachedServices/KeyServerProtocol#Client-Side_Key_Stretching
* Key stretching performance tests: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/AttachedServices/Key_Stretching_Performance_Tests
 
=== Verifier ===
 
FxA enables clients to generate BrowserID assertions on behalf of the user. FxA provides a hosted verifier for verifying these assertions.
 
* Verifier server code: https://github.com/mozilla/browserid-verifier
* Verifier library: https://github.com/mozilla/browserid-local-verify
* Production deployment: https://verifier.accounts.firefox.com/v2
 
=== Customs Server ===
 
FxA uses the Customs Server to detect and mitigate fraud & abuse.
 
Links:
* Code: https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-customs-server
* Deployment: currently pulled in by the auth server as an npm dependency
 
== Desktop ==
 
Firefox Accounts integration is available on Desktop Firefox as of Firefox 29.
 
== Android  ==
 
Firefox Accounts integration is available on Firefox for Android as of Firefox 29.
 
==  Firefox OS ==
Implementation of Firefox Accounts in FirefoxOS is committed for b2g v2.0.
 
Firefox Accounts user story spreadsheet - the canonical source of truth:
* https://docs.google.com/a/mozilla.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtVT90hlMtdSdEd4TVVjWXNfU3ctMlVhWFRrWkpweVE#gid=50
 
The Committed user stories have landed, as have most of the Targeted. The project bug is here:
 
* https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/showdependencytree.cgi?id=941723&hide_resolved=1
 
Open bugs with clear product value:
<bugzilla>
    {
        "id": "1004242,968567,1000323,1004319,980638,970623,987418,994725,998012,998464,1003201"
    }
</bugzilla>
 
Open bugs for corner cases:
<bugzilla>
    {
        "id": "973635,994887,1004209"
    }
</bugzilla>
 
Open bugs for refactoring and other yak-shaving:
<bugzilla>
    {
        "id": "997361,982969,996248,989368,1003993,1004099,983452,993794,967779,967988"
    }
</bugzilla>
 
== Operations ==
For now, here are some useful links about Firefox Accounts Operations:
* Q3 load testing results: https://id.etherpad.mozilla.org/fxa-q3-load-testing-summary
* Deployment planning: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/AttachedServices/DeploymentPlanning/
* Traffic model: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/AttachedServices/DeploymentPlanning/TrafficModel
* Notes on the operational costs of the Auth Server: https://mail.mozilla.org/pipermail/sync-dev/2013-July/000043.html
 
=== Deployments ===
* production
** content: https://accounts.firefox.com/
** auth: https://api.accounts.firefox.com/
** verifier: https://verifier.accounts.firefox.com/v2
* stage
** content: https://accounts.stage.mozaws.net/
** auth: https://api-accounts.stage.mozaws.net/
* dev
** content: https://accounts.dev.lcip.org/
** content (latest): https://accounts-latest.dev.lcip.org/
** auth: https://api-accounts.dev.lcip.org/
** auth (latest): https://api-accounts-latest.dev.lcip.org/
 
== Metrics ==
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/Firefox_Accounts/Minimum_Viable_Metrics
 
== Fraud and Abuse ==
 
[[Identity/Firefox Accounts/Fraud and abuse]]
 
=Resources=
 
== Mailing Lists ==
* Firefox Accounts development: https://mail.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-fxacct
* Sync development: https://mail.mozilla.org/listinfo/sync-dev
 
{{FxA Team}}
 
== Related ==
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/Roadmap Identity Roadmap]
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/User_Services/Sync Firefox Sync.next]
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/PiCL Identity and PiCL]
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/UX FxA UX/UI]
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/QA/Services/SyncTestPlanV1 QA Team Test Plan]
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/WhatDoesFxAMeanToYou What Does Firefox Accounts Mean To You?]
 
== Demos ==
* Firefox Accounts + Firefox Sync on Android: https://vimeo.com/77667079
* Firefox Accounts + Firefox Sync on Desktop: https://vimeo.com/77717494

Latest revision as of 04:11, 10 February 2017

Last updated: 2017/02/10

Firefox Accounts

Firefox Accounts is the account system for Firefox users to access hosted services provided by Mozilla.

A user can sign in with a Firefox Account to any of her "Foxes" - Firefox on Desktop, Firefox for Android, and Firefox OS - to access integrated services such as Firefox Sync and Firefox Marketplace. She can also sign in to services on the web using a standard OAuth flow.

For information on integrating a service with Firefox Accounts, visit the Firefox Accounts portal on MDN.

For information on contributing to Firefox Accounts development, visit the developer documentation.

To file a bug related to Firefox Accounts, you can use either Github or Bugzilla.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.mozilla.org/index.php?title=Identity/Firefox_Accounts&oldid=1162532"