How it works
AllStar public authentication lets client applications connect directly to a node and verify the operator through an AllStar account. Most public nodes support it unless the owner disabled it.
When you connect using public authentication, the node validates your identity with the AllStar database. Node owners can allow licensed operators without creating individual accounts. Operators can join the network without operating their own node.
This mechanism was first used in Web Transceiver, a browser-based client on the AllStar node directory. Modern browsers no longer support that approach; Transceive provides a native replacement on the Mac.
Public authentication is a convenience for connecting to repeaters and network hubs. When you connect this way, Transceive disables node management commands such as linking and unlinking, to protect the node owner from accidental network changes. For those operations, connect with node credentials or ask the node owner for access.