mini authenticator icon

mini authenticator

Extension Actions

How to install Open in Chrome Web Store
CRX ID
nmhjblhloefhbhgbfkdgdpjabaocnhha
Status
  • Live on Store
Description from extension meta

minimal open source authenticator that never store your secret keys

Image from store
mini authenticator
Description from store

## Features

- no special permission need: we don't read / write your web pages
- simple, single-purpose: just paste your key and we generate the time-base onetime password(TOTP) for two factor aurthentication(2FA)
- secure: we do **NOT** store your keys in any places (cookies, chrome storage, cloud ... etc)
- offline: no sensitive data transmitted over the internet
- open source: everyone can check the source code integrity

## How to use

🎬 https://youtu.be/64P0G7dOpKY

1. click on the extension button
2. paste your secret key
3. get your 2FA passcode 🎉

## Motivation

I've used authenticators that are packed with features. They allow you to save your secret keys, sync them across different devices through the internet, also import/export the keys by QRCode. If you are looking for tools like that, I recommend https://authenticator.cc , it's handy, open source and well documented 👍

However, password managers such as Bitwarden, Apple Keychain ... etc already did a very good job in storing and syncing keys across devices. I want to rely on them in secret key management, and let the authenticator extension do only one thing - generate TOTP for 2FA, nothing more.

This is where Mini Authenticator comes in. It designed with a "less is more" philosophy in mind. I cut all functionalities that already handled by password managers, and only perform the pure mathematical calculation of TOTP. So it doesn't require storage, read/write your web pages, internet access, special permissions... etc. And most importantly, it's open source, so everyone can inspect and help improving it in future.

I agree that this extension is not for everyone, but only those already using password mangers to manage their secret keys, also those who concern about chrome extension permissions and abilities.

## Need Help?

Visit the project repository:

https://github.com/hoishing/mini-authenticator

for technicial details. You may also open issues in the project repo, or ping me on Twitter https://twitter.com/hoishing

Latest reviews

Joseph Caraccio
I guess it does what it is supposed to do but I don't think it is very clear about what that is. If I had to pay a monthly fee to use this then I would knock a star off for the complete lack of instructions or documentation. I'm still not sure I understand how to use it properly because I'm not sure why it would exist if it requires you to enter your secret key manually and doesn't store anything for you. I don't know much about this stuff obviously but I would guess that most people using the chrome store are just as ignorant as I am, which is something to consider. This review is not a complaint. I would never complain about something that a dev provided for free to the world. Your work is greatly appreciated and it is very cool that you open sourced it. I only wrote this review to give some feedback in case it might be helpful.
miaabb ____
little bit stupid that you cant save account !! each time you need to enter the passcode :D
James Bishop
Helped with GitHub, thanks.
Waldir Pimenta
This is not for me (I prefer the convenience of not having to enter the secrets every time), but I appreciate the minimalism and open source ethos. Thanks also for the recommendation of authenticator.cc, another open source 2FA extension — I'm now using it and happy with it. (Btw, I'd suggest adding "2FA" to this extension's short description to make it more discoverable)
Petr Rössler jr.
Brilliantly simple, fast and safe. For everything else I use 1Password
Petr Rössler jr.
Brilliantly simple, fast and safe. For everything else I use 1Password