# Rails Authentication Choices **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [October 25, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-authentication-choices/73605 "2006-10-25T17:25:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bparanj)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-authentication-choices/73605/1 "2006-10-25T17:25:53Z")
I am evaluating the Yahoo Browser Based Authentication Rails plugin for use in my web app. It looks like a good idea to make the signup process easier by using this plugin. I see the following advantages for using it: 1. Less code 😉 2. I don’t have to struggle with Acts As Authenticated or RESTful Authentication plugins to get this functionality. 3. I can safely assume most of my customers already have an Yahoo account. I don’t know what information will be made available after the signup process. Has anyone used it? Is it like Single Sign On? Does Google have something similar? TIA. ---
**Author:** ![bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bparanj)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-authentication-choices/73605/2 "2006-10-25T17:56:06Z")
> > 1. I can safely assume most of my customers already have an Yahoo > > account. > > I’d offer it as an option, but I wouldn’t require a yahoo account. For the second release I can give them another option. ---
**Author:** ![bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bparanj)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-authentication-choices/73605/3 "2006-10-25T21:28:36Z")
1. I can safely assume most of my customers already have an Yahoo account. If your target market is Yahoo employees, then I would say you can assume that. I wouldn’t sign up if I had to have a Yahoo account… ---
**Author:** ![bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bparanj)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-authentication-choices/73605/4 "2006-10-25T17:46:00Z")
> 1. I can safely assume most of my customers already have an Yahoo account. I’d offer it as an option, but I wouldn’t require a yahoo account. – Rick O. [http://weblog.techno-weenie.net](http://weblog.techno-weenie.net) [http://mephistoblog.com](http://mephistoblog.com) ---
**Author:** ![bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bparanj)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-authentication-choices/73605/5 "2006-10-25T21:42:16Z")
Agreed, I don’t have a yahoo account and I would be less likely to sign up if thats what it required. You could easily roll your own authentication system very easily with a simple before\_filter in your application controller. & a registration system is very simple once you setup your validations. ---
**Author:** ![bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bparanj)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-authentication-choices/73605/6 "2006-10-25T23:16:48Z")
200 million Yahoo users!!! Very tempting. Ok, I am getting my hands dirty with the RESTful authentication plugin. Let’s see how it goes. Thnx. ---
**Author:** ![bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bparanj)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-authentication-choices/73605/7 "2006-10-26T17:04:08Z")
Bala P. wrote: > I don’t know what information will be made available after the signup > process. Has anyone used it? Is it like Single Sign On? Does Google have > something similar? TIA. Even though Bala’s decided that Yahoo authentication is best offered as a secondary option, I’d still like to know about the original questions. Anybody know? Ron ---
**Author:** ![bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@bparanj](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bparanj)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-authentication-choices/73605/8 "2006-10-26T17:50:15Z")
> Even though Bala’s decided that Yahoo authentication is best offered as > a secondary option, I’d still like to know about the original > questions. Anybody know? > > Ron I posted this question on Yahoo’s ydn-auth group. I got very vague answers and links that I already have. Anyways, I got the RESTful authentication working and I have blogged the instructions here [http://bparanj.blogspot.com/](http://bparanj.blogspot.com/) It’s better not to have any dependency on Yahoo.