Software Development Product & Design

Passwordless Auth with Magic Links: Why and How

S
Samuel Kimani
January 01, 2026 1 min read

Why Passwordless

Passwords are the weakest link in most applications. Users reuse them, forget them, and choose weak ones. Password resets generate support tickets. Breached credential lists make even "strong" passwords vulnerable. Magic links eliminate all of this.

How It Works

The flow is simple: user enters their email, we generate a single-use token with a 30-minute expiry, send it via email, and authenticate on click. No password to remember, no credentials to breach, no reset flow to build.

Security Considerations

The token must be cryptographically random (we use 64 bytes of random data). Store a SHA-256 hash in the database, not the plain token — if someone breaches your database, they can't use the hashes. Mark tokens as used immediately on verification to prevent replay.Rate limiting is critical: cap magic link requests to 5 per minute per email to prevent abuse. Log IP addresses and user agents for audit trails. The token URL should use HTTPS only.

Conversion Impact

After switching our client portal to magic link auth, login completion rates jumped 40%. Users who previously abandoned at the password field now authenticate in one click from their email. For a platform targeting Kenyan business users who access via mobile, removing the password friction was transformative.

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