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Posted to bugs@httpd.apache.org by bu...@apache.org on 2007/02/23 02:33:42 UTC
DO NOT REPLY [Bug 41685] New: - Implement optional HTTP Authentication in a standards-compliant fashion
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Summary: Implement optional HTTP Authentication in a standards-
compliant fashion
Product: Apache httpd-2
Version: 2.3-HEAD
Platform: All
OS/Version: All
Status: NEW
Severity: enhancement
Priority: P2
Component: Core
AssignedTo: bugs@httpd.apache.org
ReportedBy: wayland@smartchat.net.au
It would be possible to implement optional HTTP Authentication (something that
people seem to want often enough; see links below) without violating any RFCs.
Optional Auth Process
---------------------
The idea is that (if the feature were turned on) the process would work as follows:
1. A request comes in from a web browser for a page marked with optional
authentication
2. Seeing no authentication, Apache passes this on to the CGI/mod_perl that will
process it
3. The CGI/mod_perl sends back a response with a 401/WWW-Authenticate
4. Apache, seeing authentication in the response this time, processes the
authentication. Either way, it passes control back to the CGI/mod_perl, but if
the authentication failed, it will not populate the variables containing the
username and the like. It is up to the CGI/mod_perl how to respond to this.
Changes required
----------------
The change required in Apache to achieve this is fairly simple: if optional auth
is specified (eg. in a .htaccess), pass control to the CGI/mod_perl even if the
auth fails; don't respond with a 401 or a WWW-Authenticate.
Suggested config syntax:
AuthOptional On
Presumably, this should also be part of AllowOverride AuthConfig
Additional Information
----------------------
I'm not 100% sure this belongs in the core, but I was unsure where it did belong
For reference, the complaints that people have about using HTTP Auth are
summarised in the following articles:
http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpost.jsp?thread=155252
http://fishbowl.pastiche.org/2003/12/30/saving_http_authentication
Some of their solutions involve changing RFCs. Mine only involves adding a
configuration option which doesn't violate RFCs
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DO NOT REPLY [Bug 41685] - Implement optional HTTP Authentication in a standards-compliant fashion
Posted by bu...@apache.org.
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http://issues.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=41685
anders@kaseorg.com changed:
What |Removed |Added
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