# Ceremonies

In the Webauthn context, there are two ceremonies:

* The **attestation ceremony** or **creation ceremony**: associates an authenticator to a user account
* The **assertion ceremony** or **request ceremony**: used for the authentication of a user.

For both ceremonies, there are two steps to perform:

1. The creation of options: these options are sent to the authenticator and indicate what to do and how.
2. The response of the authenticator: after the user interacted with the authenticator, the authenticator computes a response that has to be verified.

Depending on the options and the capabilities of the authenticator, the user interaction may differ. It can be a simple touch on a button or a complete authentication using biometric means (PIN code, fingerprint, facial recognition…).

## Attestation ceremony

This ceremony aims at registering an authenticator. It can be used during the creation of a new user account or when an existing user wants to add an additional authenticator.

![The attestation ceremony](https://212575968-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FxEDREJYPMksHUF2OLhIQ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-8f46ca30889bc09a9e74c91cf0c605d15a6b1e54%2Fregistration.png?alt=media)

## Assertion ceremony

This ceremony aims at authenticating a user. The user will be asked to interact with one of its authenticators. Additional authentication means, such as PIN code or fingerprint, may be required.

![The assertion ceremony](https://212575968-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FxEDREJYPMksHUF2OLhIQ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-39ddb600043ee623069a8e8afd60f5583c81456e%2Flogin.png?alt=media)