May 28, 2020
Introducing DirectAuth by Torus
A New Integration Deep Within Apps That Abstracts Blockchain Transactions Away From the User Experience
Today, we’re rolling out DirectAuth by Torus. Building on the Torus Wallet, DirectAuth is a new product that extends the Torus integration deep into apps, making frictionless transactions and persistent identities a new in-app reality.
Some of our customers — games like Skyweaver, finance apps like GoodDollar, a universal basic income product sponsored by capital markets platform eToro, social networks like Sapien, and major storage networks like Arweave — have already integrated DirectAuth and started building new, streamlined experiences with these tools. Hopefully, you’ll start seeing them out in the wild very soon. Until then, here’s a glimpse at the future.
Notice the difference between web2 login flows and this one? Neither could we — and that’s the idea. Behind each tap, a blockchain transaction occurred, powered by DirectAuth.
Rather than getting a pop-up or a prompt to sign a transaction, DirectAuth customizes every interaction for its use case on behalf of the user. Blockchain applications integrated with DirectAuth have full control over their UX and can customize their interfaces for all user interactions, without the need for extra steps or pop-ups. Using DirectAuth, applications can now manage non-custodial, app-specific private keys, which are stored in Torus’s distributed network.
Most blockchain applications are highly restrictive. This means that every transaction or interaction within the app requires a user to go through a series of confirmation steps. The result is the terrible user experience that gets in the way of use and adoption. The reality is, this UX is more a function of the current status quo — where key management via providers is the only choice available — rather than a specific design choice.
While there is a subset of users and applications that truly need restrictive permissions at every step of the way, the vast majority of people just want to scroll through a feed, or play a game, or send messages without having to allow and sign every single transaction. DirectAuth by Torus now makes that possible.
Torus’s Wallet and DirectAuth are both blockchain agnostic and compatible on both web and native applications, which means developers can integrate its key management solutions regardless of their specific infrastructure of choice. Torus is already in use by great teams building on Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Solana, Ontology, Zilliqa, Cosmos, Arweave and Near.
DirectAuth is the next big chapter in our product line and a major milestone for the company. We hope you come and check it out, and use it to make applications people actually want to play with.
Developers looking to integrate DirectAuth into their applications can read our docs or join our community. For more product information on Torus Wallet, DirectAuth, or pricing, please visit https://tor.us/.
