FaceTec

Only needed when self-hosting. The Quick Start uses the sandbox device key already filled in .env.example.

FaceTec provides 3D liveness detection — a face scan that proves a real person is present, not a photo or a video. The boilerplate uses it to secure the keyshare backup and recovery flows.

What FaceTec does in this app

Purpose	When it runs	What it does
Enroll	During backup setup	Registers the user's face with the backend's FaceTec server
Match	During recovery	Verifies the face scan matches the enrolled face

A successful match produces a face_session_id. The app passes it to auth-svc as proof of identity when registering a new device and recovering keyshares. Each successful match session can be used once.

Server-driven sessions

The app holds exactly one FaceTec value — the device key identifier:

EXPO_PUBLIC_FACETEC_DEVICE_KEY_IDENTIFIER=...

Face scans need real camera hardware. On simulators and emulators the app shows a "Physical device required" screen instead.

Get your own device key

1. Sign in or create a developer account at dev.facetec.com.
2. Open Account Info & Encryption Keys and create an app. Copy its Device Key Identifier.
3. Set it as EXPO_PUBLIC_FACETEC_DEVICE_KEY_IDENTIFIER in the app's .env.
4. Set the same value as FACETEC_DEVICE_KEY in your auth-svc.

During your testing phase, auth-svc can point at FaceTec's hosted Test API. Production use requires a commercial agreement with FaceTec, which gives you your own FaceTec Server to run.

The device key identifier in the app must match FACETEC_DEVICE_KEY in your auth-svc, or backup and recovery will fail. See Run Your Own Backend.