Passkeys for SMBs: A Developer's Guide to Going Passwordless in 2026

Passkeys replace shared secrets with public-key cryptography, eliminating phishing, breach leaks, and credential stuffing. For small teams, major apps like Google Workspace and GitHub support passkeys out of the box. Verizon's 2026 DBIR attributes 81% of breaches to weak passwords, and IBM reports average breach costs of $98,000 for sub-50-employee businesses.