You’ve heard a lot about OpenID, the decentralized framework for authenticating users across the web. OpenID is convenient for end users, allowing them to login to numerous web sites using one set of credentials – their OpenID. But how is OpenID doing today? Where can you get one? And more importantly, where can you use it? We took the pulse of OpenID to see how it’s currently faring.
Where To Get Your OpenID
Mainstream Sites:
Many people still don’t realize that they don’t even have to go get an OpenID – they already have one. Several mainstream web sites function as OpenID providers. If you have an account at one of the following, then congratulations – you already have an OpenID!
- AOL – openid.aol.com/screenname
- Blogger – username.blogger.com
- Bloglines – d.bloglines.com/username
- Flickr – www.flickr.com/photos/username
- LiveDoor – profile.livedoor.com/username
- LiveJournal – username.livejournal.com
- Orange (France Telecom) – http://openid.orange.fr/
- SmugMug – username.smugmug.com
- Technorati – technorati.com/people/technorati/username
- Vox – member.vox.com
- Yahoo – http://openid.yahoo.com
- WordPress.com – username.wordpress.com
- Ziki.com
Well-Known Providers:
You can also pick up an OpenID from these providers.
- ClaimID – free OpenID providers
- Clickpass – OpenID provider that makes OpenID easier for developers to install and users to understand
- myID.net – free OpenID provider with support for groups and Korean language
- myOpenID – free OpenID provider
- myVidoop – free OpenID Provider that eliminates passwords with security features, customization, and browser integration.
- VeriSign’s Personal Identity Provider – free OpenID provder with support for multi-factor authentication
Other Providers:
- AlwaysKnownAs.com – OpenID provider, plus user-centric contact management system with address book plug-ins wrapped around OpenID
- Beemba– Supports Information Cards as well as traditional forms-based authentication
- certifi.ca – Browser-certificate-based OpenID service; free; no passwords, no phishing
- gpgid.box43.net – OpenID provider using PGP/GPG public key authentication
- id7r.com – Id7r turns every email address into an OpenID identifier. No registration is necessary
- Identitude – An OpenID Provider backed by Facebook Accounts and profile information
- IDMobs.com First OpenID provider for mobile phones. Free, light, secure
- idproxy.net – lets you use your Yahoo! account as an OpenID
- My vAuth ID OpenID IdP supporting speaker verification for strong authentication offered by VxV Solutions
- openid.35.com OpenId.35.com is a FREE,Secure SSL-enabled OpenId Service provider, combined with some social network features that let users connect with each other
- openid.nabber.org – Free proxy that translates your existing e-mail address into an OpenID URL and authentication service
- OpenID.org.cn Free OpenID server and authentication service with multiple credentials such as single password, Google Account etc.
- OpenProfile Extends OpenID to maintain and serve profile information via hcard and vCard
- Own-ID – free service that lets you use your own domain name as your OpenID
- prooveme.com – Certificate based OpenID; Strong authentication without passwords
- ProtectNetwork OpenID, Shibboleth and SAML standards compliant identity server by 9Star Research, Inc
- SignOn.com – OpenID Provider with support for Information Cards
- SmartCom
- StartSSL– Uses only client-side SSL certificates for authentication and SSL/TLS encryption for transport.
- sxipper – Firefox plugin for OpenID
- Typekey – and here’s how to make TypeKey your own OpenID server
- Videntity.org
- tiny.id7r.com – provides short URL as “alias” of long OpenID URL
- TrustBearer OpenID– Uses smart cards, security tokens or biometric readers to authenticate users
Providers Outside the U.S/Foreign Language Support:
- Anonymous OpenID – Free, Anonymous OpenID Provider. No signup required. Also the First (free) Indian OpenID server
- Daum OpenID– Korean OpenID provider by Daum.net
- fcid.net – a chinese OpenID provider.
- IDtail.com – OpenID provider for Korean (by Hedgeplus.net in AhnLab.com; English planned)
- isOpenID– Russian OpenID provider
- netliberty.ru is an identity provider that includes OpenID server
- OpenID.cn Free OpenID server and authentication service in Chinese
- OpenID.cz Free OpenID server (Czech)
- openid.blogs.es – First Spanish OpenID server; free
- opendaumid.net Lets you use your DAUM account as an OpenID.(korean)
- openid.com.gr – The first greek openID Provider
- OpenID.ee – Ultra-secure OpenID provider using smart cards – requires no registration nor passwords and uses Estonian eID card and GSM SIM cards for strong authentication
- OpenID Espa, Spanish free OpenID provider
- OpenID France – First French OpenID server; free
- OpenID in Estonia
- OpenID Italia, OpenID Italia, free OpenID provider
- OpenID.LT – Lithuanian OpenID provider.
- OpenID.me.uk First United Kingdom OpenID provider with strong authentication. (2008/02/05 – not yet currently live)
- OpenID.ne.jp – First Japanese OpenID server; free
- openid.net.in Free Indian OpenID Provider
- openid.openminds.be – First Belgian OpenID provider; Free, uses Strong authentication (SSL); Vraag je gratis OpenID account vandaag aan
- OpenID.ph – OpenID Philippines (English and Tagalog) is the first Filipino OpenID server (free)
- OpenID.PL – first Polish OpenID server; free
- OpenID Portugal, First Free portugal OpenID provider
- openidprovider – A new Open ID Provider Based in the netherlands.
- openid.xmpp.za.net – The South African XMPP Federation OpenID Server (uses XEP-0070 to authenticate any jabber/xmpp account)
- MeinGuter.Name Secure German OpenID provider with focus on reputation building
- mi OpenID – Spanish free OpenID provider with strong authentication and hostname as OpenID (user.miopenid.es)
- Mi ID.es– First OpenID provider with activity stream from several web services.
- MijnOpenID.nl First Dutch OpenID server. Is controlled by the OpenID Europe Foundation. Each OpenID user own a part of the Foundation
- MoiKrug.ru – Free OpenID service with profile in the largest professional social network in Russia
- mojID.com, First Slovenian secure OpenID provider.
- myID.net – First Korean OpenID server; get Free
- myID.pl – Polish OpenID server; free. The shortest URL.
- mysecond.name Free OpenID server and authentication service in Chinese , also support internet account management and open icon functions
- my.xlogon.net Free german OpenID provider, T&C according german laws, multiple Identity, multiple Personas, SSL only.
- regged.de provides a free OpenID server in German, now has IPv6 support
- ThaiID.net– The first free OpenID provider for Thai people
- Wong Cyber Wong Cyber – Indonesian first OpenID server
- www.hkopenid.com, Hong Kong OpenID , Hong Kong free OpenID provider, targeting on providing extra localized service.
- www.ohmyid.com – Free OpenID provider for Korean
- www.openid.hk, OpenID Hong Kong, free OpenID provider
- www.tunnnus.com, Finnish OpenID provider. (Also homepage forwarding from your OpenID-url)
Feeling Geeky? You can make your own OpenID
- /MyID is an open source PHP script that lets you host your own provider.
- OpenID’s page “OpenID for Developers” gives you some more options
- Wiki on how you can
OpenID Resources
- BotBouncer – CAPTCHA service for OpenID—
- OpenID official site
- OpenID Community Wiki
- OpenID Europe – Non-profit organization to help promote and deploy the OpenID framework in Europe
- OpenID Asia – organization to promote OpenID in Asia
- OpenID Russia – OpenID provider in Russia
- OpenID Source (OIDS) = OpenID Source Initiative is a Community in the OID community to grow OpenID
- OpenID Enabled – resource for OpenID users and developers
- Directory of OpenID enabled Websites (Consumers)
- Spread OpenID – helping to spread OpenID to not so tech-savvy users
Where You Can Use OpenID (Major Web Sites Only)
- 37signals
- CNN Political Market
- Creative Commons Wiki
- Drupal
- Feed Each Other
- FeedHub
- Ficlets
- LiveJournal.com
- Ma.gnolia – they now require an OpenID to create an account (our coverage)
- Mixx
- Movable Type Weblogs
- myOpenID Site Directory
- pbwiki
- Plaxo
- Propeller
- Skitch.com
- Simpy
- Snipperoo
- springnote
- The OpenID Directory
- Technorati
- twitterfeed
- Wetpaint
- wikiHow
- Wikispaces
- Zooomr
Other websites:
You can find a more complete list of sites supporting OpenID logins at the OpenID Site Directory.
Conclusion
It seems that there are currently many more places you can get an OpenID today than there are places to use one. We covered some of our concerns about the adoption rates previously in this post: “The Troubles with OpenID 2.0.”
Right now, everyone is still counting on Digg to be the next big player supporting openID, thanks to this January, 2008 blog post, mentioning their plans to support more open standards.
Despite its benefits, OpenID still remains too hard to add to your site and logging in is not always a smooth process. That’s where a company like Clickpass has a real edge. Clickpass, which is powered by OpenID, wants to make OpenID easy to use in order to bring the benefits of single-sign-on to everyone. Currently, only a few places support Clickpass – Disqus, Ma.gnolia., Plaxo, TrustedPlaces, and WordPress (via a plugin) – but they promise there are more to come. I certainly hope so because using Clickpass was just as easy as they promised, so I really hope it takes off.
