Understanding Authentication: A Dive into Traditional Email Sign-Up vs “Sign in with Google”

Wisdom Usa
3 min readApr 29, 2024

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Ever visited a website’s registration page and then found more than a single way to register an account?

With the continuously evolving digital landscape, managing numerous accounts and passwords serves as a significant ordeal. To address this pressing issue, a lot of websites offer an alternative to the usual email sign-up process known as “Sign-in with Google”. This method uses a different approach to the creation and management of accounts

Let’s dive right in to examine the differences between these two methods

Traditional Sign-up Process with Gmail Address:

This method of signing up for a new account is the typical way that is familiar to everyone. With this approach, the individuals are required to provide their Gmail address as a form of identification. Additionally, they are also required to create a new unique password specifically for the desired website. This approach retains a distinct separation between the individual’s Google account and their activities on the website, making sure that the information in one doesn’t influence the other. However, this method also introduces the challenge of remembering the password for the website. In any event of forgotten passwords, the individual will often have to go through the cumbersome website’s recovery process to gain back access to their account.

“Sign in with Google” method:

Contrary to the conventional sign-up with the Gmail address method. Using the “Sign in with Google” option provides a more modernized process that focuses on mitigating some of the challenges that come with using the traditional method. This method utilizes an individual’s existing Google Account credentials for identification, effectively alleviating the necessity to create a new account or recall a password. Additionally, this method is particularly convenient as it allows individuals to easily sign in on various devices where they are already logged into their Google account. It also provides an extra layer of security for individuals who have enabled two-factor authentication on their Google account.

Choosing the Proper Method:

These two methods have their peculiar advantages and potential downsides, and the choice between the two is often dependent on an individual’s personal preference.

Using the traditional sign-up process can be burdensome as it requires an individual to manage multiple passwords and login credentials. But it does provide an extra layer of security as it involves the use of unique login credentials for different websites, thus keeping an individual’s account unaffected if one of the accounts is compromised.

In contrast, “the sign-in with Google” option provides unparalleled comfort and a seamless user experience. It alleviates the need to remember multiple passwords and usernames, and the process is quick as it bypasses the email verification process during sign-up processes. This method is also helpful for individuals who habitually switch between devices, they can log in from different devices without having to input their credentials every time.

However, it is important to note that this method comes with a condition which is, that accounts linked using the “sign-in with Google” method are plausibly at risk if the individual’s Google account is compromised.

Conclusion:

In summary, both methods have their pros and cons, and the decision largely depends on the individual’s priorities regarding convenience and privacy. It’s always judicious to stay enlightened about the benefits and downsides of the methods before making a final decision on which method to settle with.

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