Difference between FormsAuthentication Microst.AspNet.Identity.Owin.SignInManager.to authenticate

Question

The default Project template of ASP.NET MVC comes with a class named Microst.AspNet.Identity.Owin.SignInManager. This class is used to authenticate users

I dont understand why should i use SignInManager instead of using simple FormsAuthentication in an ASP.NET MVC Project. What are the benefits of SignInManager?

Does it authenticate in a different way according to FormsAuthentication? Is it more secure then FormsAuthentication? What can i do else with SignInManager except authentication?

What is the relation between SignInManager and the code below? Does The SignInManager use the settings which are set below?

app.UseCookieAuthentication(new CookieAuthenticationOptions
{
    AuthenticationType = DefaultAuthenticationTypes.ApplicationCookie,
    LoginPath = new PathString("/Account/Login"),
    Provider = new CookieAuthenticationProvider
    {
        // Enables the application to validate the security stamp when the user logs in.
        // This is a security feature which is used when you change a password or add an external login to your account.  
        OnValidateIdentity = SecurityStampValidator.OnValidateIdentity<ApplicationUserManager, ApplicationUser>(
            validateInterval: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30),
            regenerateIdentity: (manager, user) => user.GenerateUserIdentityAsync(manager))
    }
}); 

Answer 1

MembershipProvider came with FormsAuthentication in ASP.NET 2.

ASP.NET Identity came with SignInManager in ASP.NET 5.

ASP.NET Identity is a new version of MembershipProvider. It offers a lot more features than legacy MembershipProvider.

For example,

• Two-factor authentication
• Token-based authentication
• Easy-to-add custom properties compare to MembershipProvider
• Get instance of UserManager from the OWIN context

If you do not need all those features, you can stick with FormsAuthentication which can be used without MembershipProvider.