About YubiKey

A YubiKey is a USB security key made by Yubico.

The current generation of YubiKeys, known as the YubiKey 5 Series, can provide several security-related services, including ...

  • FIDO U2F
  • FIDO2/WebAuthn
  • PIV/Smart Card emulation
  • OpenPGP

Different keys are available with different options for connecting to a host device, including USB-A, USB-C, Lightning (used on iPhones and iPads), and NFC.

Yubico also sells other security keys which look very similar, and which cost less, however not all of them support OpenPGP. In particular, the "Security Key" and "YubiKey Bio" devices do not support OpenPGP.

If you're planning to order any YubiKey devices, be careful to order devices which support OpenPGP. At the moment, this means only the YubiKey 5 series.

The YubiKey 5 FIPS and YubiKey 5 CSPN series are just YubiKey 5 devices which have undergone additional testing and certification for (FIPS → US, CSPN → French/German) government use. If you're not working with one of these government agencies, don't spend the extra money.

Ordering a YubiKey

The best way to order YubiKeys is to order them directly from Yubico.

⇒ Yubico Store - YubiKey 5 Series

If you plan on having multiple YubiKeys, you'll probably need a way to tell them apart. Yubico sells "YubiStyle Covers", which stick to the YubiKeys and make it easier to tell which one is which. (I use blue for my personal keys and green for work keys.)

⇒ Yubico Store - Accessories

Buying from other suppliers

🛑 TL;DR: DON'T.

When you buy a YubiKey, you want it to have the most current firmware available. Ordering from YubiKey directly is the only way to be 100% sure that the YubiKeys you receive will have the most current firmware.

I learned this the hard way.

The very first YubiKey I ever had was a "YubiKey Neo" that I ordered from Amazon. The key they sent had apparently been sitting in a warehouse for a year and a half before they shipped it to me, and one of the firmware updates during that time fixed a bug in the OpenPGP code.

When I contacted Yubico about this, they asked me for the YubiKey's serial number and then sent me a new one with the then-current firmware, free of charge. THAT'S customer service.

Ever since this, every YubiKey I've purchased (maybe a dozen?) has been directly from Yubico.