How I'm using Password Managers
Passwords are hard. Yet, they are the one authentication mechanism supported by every service we’re using. Sometimes even the only one. Since they are so difficult to avoid, we need a strategy to cope with them. Let me show you mine.
The ideal password
The ideal password fulfills the following criteria:
- It’s used only for one account.
- It’s random and long enough to make brute-forcing impossible.
- It’s not stored unencrypted in a file.
So we have to create a long, random password for each website and remember it. That’s impossible.
How I Switched to Passkeys
It’s 2025 and the Shai-hulud supply chain attacks are rolling over the npm ecosystem. It’s a wake-up call. The worm exposes how poorly many developers handle security. I too work with npm on a daily basis. I too use insecure practices all over my digital life. I’ve been thinking about improving matters since a while. Shai-Hulud was the last thing it needed to finally get me to take action.
What are Passkeys?
Passkeys are hardware security tokens that follow the FIDO2 / Webauthn standard. The come in the form of tiny USB-sticks with a button.
Day24
Visions
I wake up a few days after the switch to the Armonioso coffee. Coffee is solid, yet a bit bitter. That happens a lot. The whole process is a bit instable, because I push my grind setting quite fine. To the point where even a little mistake in puck preparation can have strong effects on the taste. As I go on with my morning I have one of these lightbulb moments. An idea that pops out of nowherre into my consciousness.
Day 23 - Living happily ever after
Following previous posts the astound reader might assume that I had my fairy tale ending to my coffee quest. I found a setup that works for me. The coffee is nice, to the point where it leaves nothing to be desired. The sky is blue and the birds are singing.
Of course not. To be honest I’d be sad if there were nothing left to be improved or at least explored. The journey is the destination if you so will. Or less philosophical: I’m a perfectionist who’s never fully happy with his results so I continue. And while I pretend to suffer we both know that I enjoy it.
Day 22 - Don Oscar
It’s been quiet around the blog. Too quiet. Buckle up friends, I’ve been cooking. While you couch potatoes enjoy the cozy safety of your homes I’ve crossed an ocean to find some new content. I’m in Honduras now. Driving a car so small that it can pass under the huge pick-up trucks that share the road with us. Road is of course an euphemism. There are so many potholes. Some are so deep that the whole car could be parked inside, no exaggerations.
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