Show HN: Login with HN (Unofficially) (loginwithhn.com)

Article summary

The article presents an unofficial OpenID Connect provider for Hacker News, allowing users to log in with their HN username. The login process involves generating a unique code that the user must enter into their HN profile, after which they can use faster login methods such as TOTP or email. The service is free for the first 50 registered users and $6/month or $60/year for unlimited users and logins. The author built this to enable semi-anonymous login for projects tailored to the HN community.

Main themes

• Unofficial HN login
• OpenID Connect
• Authentication mechanisms
• Security concerns
• API usage
• Scraping vs API
• Login optimization
• Error handling

What commenters say

• The proposed login mechanism is simple but may not be the most efficient or secure solution.
• Using a public key in the HN bio and signing a nonce message could be an alternative authentication method.
• Storing a blob containing the username signed by the login service in the profile could improve security, but this approach has its own flaws.
• Scraping HN profiles may not be the best approach and using the official API could be a better option.
• The login service's current implementation may be prone to errors and needs improvement.
• Instantaneous confirmation can be achieved with a simple trick, but the details are not publicly disclosed.
• Using residential proxy services for profile requests can help avoid caching issues and potential scraper blocking.
• The HN API's cache invalidation can be slow, leading to frustration for users waiting for profile updates to take effect.