---
title: 'Looking to implement OpenID? Google recommends JanRain RPX'
date: '2009-07-08T22:28:37-07:00'
type: post
word_count: 435
char_count: 2701
tokens: 566
categories:
  - Google
  - JanRain
  - JanRainRPX
  - OpenID
  - Oregon
  - Portland
  - rpx
tags:
  - 'de facto hub'
  - Google
  - JanRain
  - OpenID
  - rpx
---

# Looking to implement OpenID? Google recommends JanRain RPX

I hear you. “Oh boy. Here we go again with the ‘[Portland is the de facto hub of OpenID development](http://siliconflorist.com/?s=openid+de+facto "Portland is the de facto hub of OpenID development")‘ speech again.”

Okay. Okay. I’m sorry. But you have to admit that when a company like [Google](http://google.com) recommends using [Portland-based JanRain for OpenID implementations](http://openid.net/pipermail/board/2009-July/002094.html "[OpenID board] upcoming Google announcement regarding OpenID") that that just lends credence to my argument, doesn’t it?

No, you heard me right. Google, that little search engine company down in Mountain View, says that if you’re looking for an out-of-the-box solution OpenID, you should be thinking about using [JanRain RPX](http://www.janrain.com/products/rpx "JanRain RPX").

> Prefer an out-of-the-box solution? We have been working with JanRain , a provider of OpenID solutions, which already support the new API as part of their RPX product . As demonstrated by UserVoice using JanRain’s RPX , a user simply types in her Google Apps hosted domain name in the OpenID login box and everything else is being taken care of

And if that’s not a vote of confidence, I don’t know what is.

So what brought about this admission? Well, Portland’s most famous blogger, [Marshall Kirkpatrick](http://marshallk.com "Marshall Kirkpatrick") of ReadWriteWeb, happened upon [an OpenID missive from Google’s Eric Sachs](http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_to_announce_major_identity_initiative_for_1.php "Google To Announce Major Identity Initiative for 1 Million+ Companies and Schools") that appears to have posted to a public discussion list accidentally.

> “For these organizations,” Google Security Product Manager, Eric Sachs, wrote on the public OpenID Board mailing list this morning, “Google Apps can now become an identity and data hub for multiple SaaS providers.” Sachs appeared to believe his email was not being posted to a public board; he asked that it not be circulated so that some unusual technical work could be completed and political support shored up in the face of likely community and press cynicism. There’s good reason for that – it may not be the good news it seems to be.

Of course, me being so Portland-centric, I immediately jumped to the JanRain news. But the stuff that Marshall uncovers is well worth the read. So please [head over to ReadWriteWeb to read his post](http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_to_announce_major_identity_initiative_for_1.php), too.

*(Hat tip [Ken Westin](http://twitter.com/kwestin "Ken Westin on Twitter"))*

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