Firebase Authentication is Google's identity platform for apps. It handles user login, signup, password resets, email verification, phone verification (SMS), and multi-factor authentication. Integrate the SDK (1 line: pod 'Firebase/Auth'), call authentication APIs, and get a user session. Firebase secures passwords, manages tokens, and handles account recovery. It supports multiple auth methods: email/password, phone (SMS OTP), Google, Facebook, Apple, Twitter, Microsoft, GitHub, and anonymous. Users can link multiple methods to one account.