The Basic class provides a number of methods to handle HTTP Basic Authentication. In Basic Authentication the server sends a challenge and the client has to respond to that with the correct credentials. These credentials will have to be sent with every request from that point on.
On the server you will have to check the headers for the 'Authorization' header. When you find one unpack it and check it against your database of credentials. If the credentials are wrong you have to return a 401 status message and a challenge, otherwise proceed as normal. The code is meant as an example, not as runnable code.
def check_authentication(request, response) credentials = HTTPAuth::Basic.unpack_authorization(request['Authorization']) if ['admin', 'secret'] == credentials response.status = 200 return true else response.status = 401 response['WWW-Authenticate'] = HTTPAuth::Basic.pack_challenge('Admin Pages') return false end end
On the client you have to detect the WWW-Authenticate header sent from the server. Once you find one you should send credentials for that resource any resource 'deeper in the URL space'. You may send the credentials for every request without a WWW-Authenticate challenge. Note that credentials are valid for a realm, a server can use multiple realms for different resources. The code is meant as an example, not as runnable code.
def get_credentials_from_user_for(realm) if realm == 'Admin Pages' return ['admin', 'secret'] else return [nil, nil] end end def handle_authentication(response, request) unless response['WWW-Authenticate'].nil? realm = HTTPAuth::Basic.unpack_challenge(response['WWW-Authenticate]) @credentials[realm] ||= get_credentials_from_user_for(realm) @last_realm = realm end unless @last_realm.nil? request['Authorization'] = HTTPAuth::Basic.pack_authorization(*@credentials[@last_realm]) end end
Finds and unpacks the authorization credentials in a hash with the CGI enviroment. Returns [nil,nil] if no credentials were found. See HTTPAuth::CREDENTIAL_HEADERS for supported variable names.
_Note for Apache_: normally the Authorization header can be found in the HTTP_AUTHORIZATION env variable, but Apache's mod_auth removes the variable from the enviroment. You can work around this by renaming the variable in your apache configuration (or .htaccess if allowed). For example: rewrite the variable for every request on /admin/*.
RewriteEngine on RewriteRule ^admin/ - [E=X-HTTP-AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]
# File lib/httpauth/basic.rb, line 106 def get_credentials(env) d = HTTPAuth::CREDENTIAL_HEADERS.inject(false) { |a, e| env[e] || a } return unpack_authorization(d) unless !d || d.nil? || d.empty? [nil, nil] end
Returns contents for the WWW-authenticate header
realm
: A string with a recognizable title for the restricted
resource
# File lib/httpauth/basic.rb, line 77 def pack_challenge(realm) format("Basic realm=\"%s\"", realm.gsub('"', '')) end
Returns the name of the realm in a WWW-Authenticate header
authenticate
: The contents of the WWW-Authenticate header
# File lib/httpauth/basic.rb, line 84 def unpack_challenge(authenticate) if authenticate =~ /Basic\srealm=\"([^\"]*)\"/ return Regexp.last_match[1] else if authenticate =~ /^Basic/ fail(UnwellformedHeader, "Can't parse the WWW-Authenticate header, it's probably not well formed") else fail(ArgumentError, 'HTTPAuth::Basic can only unpack Basic Authentication headers') end end end