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Are Passkeys and Zero Trust Really Replacing Passwords for Business Security?
For developers, setting up authentication and access control from scratch is one of the more tedious parts of building an application. Zitadel exists to cut through that complexity.
It’s an open-source identity and access management (IAM) platform built with an all-in-one, API-first approach. Developers can integrate IAM directly into their applications, whether they’re building internal tools, B2B platforms, or consumer-facing products. One of its standout features is delegated access management — developers can assign a specific subset of roles for a project, while the organization retains control over what those roles actually do for their users.
Zitadel supports SSO, social logins, multifactor authentication, and passkeys out of the box. It has earned 13.5K GitHub stars and logged 4.8 million downloads — a strong signal of real-world developer adoption. The company has raised $11.5M in funding.
Why IAM Is Becoming a Priority
The timing makes sense. The global IAM market is on track to reach $42.6 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 10.4%. Remote work, AI-driven attacks, and increasingly sophisticated phishing schemes have pushed organizations to rethink how they verify and manage user access.
Two approaches are gaining serious traction:
- Passkeys replace traditional passwords using a two-part cryptographic system — a public key stored on the site and a private key that stays with the user, typically tied to a fingerprint, face scan, or device PIN. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has officially endorsed passkeys as at least as secure as the strongest passwords paired with two-step verification. With 87% of large US and UK enterprises already deploying or implementing passkeys, the shift is well underway.
- ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) operates on a “never trust, always verify” principle. Rather than granting blanket network access, every request is evaluated individually, limiting exposure if credentials are ever compromised.
Other IAM Startups Worth Watching
Zitadel isn’t the only player building in this space. Several startups are pushing IAM in new directions:
- FusionAuth — a developer-focused identity platform with flexible deployment options (cloud, on-prem, or self-hosted).
- Auth0 — one of the most widely used authentication platforms, now part of Okta, known for its easy integration and extensive documentation.
- Frontegg — tailored for SaaS companies, it lets product teams embed user management features directly into their product without starting from zero.
- SGNL — focuses on continuous authorization, making access decisions in real time based on context rather than static permissions.