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<h1 align="CENTER">Module mod_auth</h1>
<p>This module provides for user authentication using text
files.</p>
rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Base<br />
<a href="module-dict.html#SourceFile"
<a href="module-dict.html#ModuleIdentifier"
rel="Help"><strong>Module Identifier:</strong></a>
auth_module</p>
<h2>Summary</h2>
<p>This module allows the use of HTTP Basic Authentication to
restrict access by looking up users in plain text password and
group files. Similar functionality and greater scalability is
HTTP Digest Authentication is provided by <a
<h2>Directives</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="#authgroupfile">AuthGroupFile</a></li>
<li><a href="#authuserfile">AuthUserFile</a></li>
<li><a href="#authauthoritative">AuthAuthoritative</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a id="authgroupfile"
name="authgroupfile">AuthGroupFile</a> directive</h2>
<!--%plaintext <?INDEX {\tt AuthGroupFile} directive> -->
<a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
rel="Help"><strong>Syntax:</strong></a> AuthGroupFile
<em>file-path</em><br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Context"
rel="Help"><strong>Context:</strong></a> directory,
.htaccess<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Override"
rel="Help"><strong>Override:</strong></a> AuthConfig<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Status"
rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Base<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Module"
rel="Help"><strong>Module:</strong></a> mod_auth
<p>The AuthGroupFile directive sets the name of a textual file
containing the list of user groups for user authentication.
<em>File-path</em> is the path to the group file. If it is not
is treated as relative to the ServerRoot.</p>
<p>Each line of the group file contains a groupname followed by
a colon, followed by the member usernames separated by spaces.
Example:</p>
<blockquote>
<code>mygroup: bob joe anne</code>
</blockquote>
Note that searching large text files is <em>very</em>
inefficient; <a
href="mod_auth_dbm.html#authdbmgroupfile">AuthDBMGroupFile</a>
should be used instead.
<p>Security: make sure that the AuthGroupFile is stored outside
the document tree of the web-server; do <em>not</em> put it in
the directory that it protects. Otherwise, clients will be able
to download the AuthGroupFile.</p>
href="#authuserfile">AuthUserFile</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a id="authuserfile" name="authuserfile">AuthUserFile</a>
directive</h2>
<!--%plaintext <?INDEX {\tt AuthUserFile} directive> -->
<a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
rel="Help"><strong>Syntax:</strong></a> AuthUserFile
<em>file-path</em><br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Context"
rel="Help"><strong>Context:</strong></a> directory,
.htaccess<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Override"
rel="Help"><strong>Override:</strong></a> AuthConfig<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Status"
rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Base<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Module"
rel="Help"><strong>Module:</strong></a> mod_auth
<p>The AuthUserFile directive sets the name of a textual file
containing the list of users and passwords for user
authentication. <em>File-path</em> is the path to the user
with a slash), it is treated as relative to the ServerRoot.</p>
<p>Each line of the user file file contains a username followed
by a colon, followed by the crypt() encrypted password. The
behavior of multiple occurrences of the same user is
undefined.</p>
which is installed as part of the binary distribution, or which
this password file. See the <code>man</code> page for more
details. In short</p>
<blockquote>
<code>htpasswd -c Filename username</code><br />
Create a password file 'Filename' with 'username' as the
initial ID. It will prompt for the password. <code>htpasswd
Filename username2</code><br />
Adds or modifies in password file 'Filename' the 'username'.
</blockquote>
<p>Note that searching large text files is <em>very</em>
inefficient; <a
href="mod_auth_dbm.html#authdbmuserfile">AuthDBMUserFile</a>
should be used instead.</p>
<p>Security: make sure that the AuthUserFile is stored outside
the document tree of the web-server; do <em>not</em> put it in
the directory that it protects. Otherwise, clients will be able
to download the AuthUserFile.</p>
href="#authgroupfile">AuthGroupFile</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a id="authauthoritative"
name="authauthoritative">AuthAuthoritative</a> directive</h2>
<!--%plaintext <?INDEX {\tt AuthAuthoritative} directive> -->
<a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
rel="Help"><strong>Syntax:</strong></a> AuthAuthoritative
on|off<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Default"
rel="Help"><strong>Default:</strong></a>
<code>AuthAuthoritative on</code><br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Context"
rel="Help"><strong>Context:</strong></a> directory,
.htaccess<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Override"
rel="Help"><strong>Override:</strong></a> AuthConfig<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Status"
rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Base<br />
<a href="directive-dict.html#Module"
rel="Help"><strong>Module:</strong></a> mod_auth
<p>Setting the AuthAuthoritative directive explicitly to
<strong>'off'</strong> allows for both authentication and
authorization to be passed on to lower level modules (as
defined in the <code>Configuration</code> and
userID</strong> or <strong>rule</strong> matching the supplied
password and access checks will be applied and a failure will
give an Authorization Required reply.</p>
<p>So if a userID appears in the database of more than one
module; or if a valid <code>Require</code> directive applies to
more than one module; then the first module will verify the
credentials; and no access is passed on; regardless of the
AuthAuthoritative setting.</p>
<p>A common use for this is in conjunction with one of the
These modules supply the bulk of the user credential checking;
but a few (administrator) related accesses fall through to a
lower level with a well protected AuthUserFile.</p>
rel="Help"><strong>Default:</strong></a> By default; control is
not passed on; and an unknown userID or rule will result in an
Authorization Required reply. Not setting it thus keeps the
system secure; and forces an NCSA compliant behaviour.</p>
<p>Security: Do consider the implications of allowing a user to
allow fall-through in his .htaccess file; and verify that this
is really what you want; Generally it is easier to just secure
a single .htpasswd file, than it is to secure a database such
as mSQL. Make sure that the AuthUserFile is stored outside the
document tree of the web-server; do <em>not</em> put it in the
directory that it protects. Otherwise, clients will be able to
download the AuthUserFile.</p>
href="#authgroupfile">AuthGroupFile</a>.</p>
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