Most modern apps use the email address as the username. It's familiar, memorable, and removes the “oh no I've forgotten my username too” support load. ActiveManage supports both, but defaults to email-as-username for external accounts.
Why Email as Username
- Less to remember: Users already know their email.
- Single contact channel: Password reset goes to the same place they used to sign up.
- Uniqueness for free: Email addresses are already unique per person.
- Familiar pattern: Almost every consumer app uses it.
When to Use a Separate Username
- Public profile platforms: Twitter-like sites where the username is your public handle.
- Privacy concerns: When sharing your username with strangers shouldn't reveal your email.
- Multiple accounts per email: Rare but possible — e.g. an admin who needs separate buyer and seller accounts on the same email.
Switching
If you switch from “separate username” to “email as username”, existing accounts keep both fields. Their email becomes their primary login but their old username still works for backwards compat. You can mark old usernames as deprecated after a grace period.
Worked Examples
- SaaS B2B: Email as username — minimum friction at signup.
- Forum platform: Separate username (the public handle) plus email for login and recovery.
- Marketplace: Email as login, with an optional “seller display name” for the public profile.
- Internal staff: Email as username, integrated with corporate SSO so the email is the IdP attribute.