Authenticator - 2FA + TOTP
2FA (or two-factor authentication) is a security feature that requires a user to provide two forms of identification before they can access a system or application. This is typically achieved by requiring a password and a time-based one-time password (TOTP) generated by an app on a mobile device. This prevents unauthorized access to accounts even if an attacker has obtained the user’s password.
Mailinator Authenticator is specifically designed to test the functionality of 2FA codes.
Mailinator Authenticator (affectionately known as "Authenticatorinator") is designed to assist in testing 2FA functionality in applications. It uses the standard TOTP algorithm, just like Authy and Google Authenticator. Developers and testers can use these codes to simulate the 2FA process in their applications, ensuring that the system works as intended.
Authenticator fits naturally with test automation, AI-agent workflows, and Mailinator Universal IDP when you need to test authentication flows end to end.
Use Authenticator when you need to test:
- Login flows that require a TOTP code after password entry.
- Account setup flows that enroll a user in 2FA.
- Recovery or fallback flows that depend on a valid authentication code.
- End-to-end tests where an email, SMS, password, and TOTP step must all work together.
- AI-agent workflows where the agent needs to retrieve or submit a test authentication code.
Authenticator is also available through our API. The API can return the next 5 codes generated by the authenticator, which is useful for automated tests that need to avoid timing issues around code expiration.