NOTICE: This documentation and code is toward OmniAuth 1.0 in which each provider will become its own separate gem. If you're looking for the current released version, please visit OmniAuth 0.3 Stable Branch.
In version 1.0, the omniauth gem will become simply the underlying
framework upon which authentication strategies can be built. That means
where once users would put gem 'omniauth' into their Gemfile and be
finished, now each provider will have a separate gem (e.g.
oa-twitter).
This change will bring about better code, faster releases, and hopefully an even more vibrant provider landscape. For more on the rationale of the change, see this issue.
In the past, OmniAuth has provided a simple hash of authentication information. In 1.0, the returned data will be an AuthHash, a special kind of hash that has extra properties special to OmniAuth. In addition, the auth hash schema will be changing slightly. More on that soon.
In 1.0, it will be possible to set certain configuration options that will then apply to all providers. This will make certain things easier.
To date, the workflow for "dynamic" providers (being able to change them at runtime) has been somewhat difficult. We will be re-evaluating this process and making sure it's as good as it can be.
We hope to provide a more declarative provider authorship system that will make it both easier to write and easier to test strategies. Much of this may have to be implemented in "aggregate" strategy providers such as OAuth and OAuth2, but stay tuned for more on this.
OmniAuth 1.0 will be strongly tested and solid. Because we can release it one piece at a time (starting with the core gem and expanding out into the other provider gems) we will be able to maintain much higher code quality and the project will generally be more manageable.
OmniAuth 1.0 is a work in progress. We will keep the community updated about progress as we have more information. Thanks!
OmniAuth is released under the MIT License.