What Is Username?

A username is a word, number combination of characters that uniquely identifies a user on software, a website, a computer or any computing device or related service that requires user authentication. The service provider usually assigns it but may also be selected by the user. Usernames are typically case-sensitive and can be made up of any alphanumeric character with no spaces. Usernames were first introduced in the late 1800s when teleprinters communicated between two locations via Morse code. The teleprinters had codebooks printed with all the character combinations needed to communicate in Morse code. The problem was that many characters representing numbers looked similar when written down. They often needed clarification and sent the wrong message due to miscommunication between operators at different locations. Teleprinter manufacturers started using usernames instead of hard-coded strings of numbers as identification. For each user's terminal on their network to fix this problem, there would be more clarity if someone else tried accessing your terminal while you weren't there (such as during lunch break). This way, only people who knew your username could access your terminal without having problems communicating with others over the telephone. A user must enter a username to get access to a system. It is a string of characters that identifies a user in a system. A username typically follows the pattern of first name-last name or a variation thereof, e.g., john doe, jdoe, etc. A username is one of the most common forms of authentication and is widely used. It is one of the easiest ways to authenticate a user in a system and is easy to implement. However, its usage makes the system vulnerable to spoofing attacks. In other words, there are more secure ways to log in. User-level security protects your account from hackers and other cyber threats but can also be confusing. If you still need to keep your account safe, check out this quick guide to user-level security.