April 25, 2026
Comeback kid or zombie login?
Reviving BrowserID in 2026
One dev revives a dead login for just friends and family—fans cheer, skeptics yell 'goalpost!'
TLDR: A developer is reviving Mozilla’s BrowserID as a private, family-only login that won’t support big email providers. Comments split between DIY love, “goalpost” accusations, and “just use Portier,” while veterans warn usability and privacy apathy may bite again.
In a very 2026 move, a solo dev is reviving Mozilla’s long-dead BrowserID as “WKID” — a family-only login for tiny, homegrown apps. The pitch: email-based sign-in where your email provider vouches for you, keeping the login service in the dark about which sites you use, and no dependence on Big Tech. The twist? He says Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and iCloud won’t work — only his own domains. Cue the comments: is this a privacy-flavored comeback or a makeover of a flop? The vibe is spicy.
Critics pounced. apimade accused him of “moving the goalposts” and asked why not use Mozilla’s Persona or the modern successor Portier. A former Mozillian, briansmith, brought receipts: most folks don’t care enough to hide where they log in, and the original had painful UI issues. Others dunked on the brand — “BrowserID” sounds dystopian, joked userbinator. Meanwhile, supporters applauded the indie spirit and the “built for me and my mom” vibe. There’s even a meme: “WKID (pronounced wicked) — perfect for my American Girl Doll shoe app.” The dev hints at a plan to dodge cookie blockers, but the crowd wants proof this time is different. Is WKID a cozy DIY win or just nostalgia with a new coat of paint?
Key Points
- •WKID is a BrowserID-style identity provider for the author’s personal and family apps, aiming to avoid reliance on large identity providers.
- •BrowserID is chosen for its domain-based federation, privacy features, email-as-identifier model, and lightweight relying party integration.
- •The authentication flow mirrors OAuth: user enters email, authenticates with their IdP, receives a signed assertion, and the site verifies it to create a session.
- •WKID will diverge from the original BrowserID spec to work without third-party cookies, which are widely blocked by browsers.
- •The project targets a small, controlled user base, will not support major email providers, and is currently functional but needs styling and documentation cleanup.