org.apache.commons.httpclient.auth

Interface AuthScheme

All Known Implementing Classes:

AuthSchemeBase, BasicScheme, DigestScheme, NTLMScheme, RFC2617Scheme

public interface AuthScheme

This interface represents an abstract challenge-response oriented authentication scheme.

An authentication scheme should be able to support the following functions:

• Parse and process the challenge sent by the targer server in response to request for a protected resource
• Provide its textual designation
• Provide its parameters, if available
• Provide the realm this authentication scheme is applicable to, if available
• Generate authorization string for the given set of credentials, request method and URI as specificed in the HTTP request line in response to the actual authorization challenge

Authentication schemes may ignore method name and URI parameters if they are not relevant for the given authentication mechanism

Authentication schemes may be stateful involving a series of challenge-response exchanges

Since:

2.0beta1

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
java.lang.String	authenticate(Credentials credentials, HttpMethod method) Produces an authorization string for the given set of Credentials.
java.lang.String	authenticate(Credentials credentials, java.lang.String method, java.lang.String uri) Deprecated. Use authenticate(Credentials, HttpMethod) Produces an authorization string for the given set of Credentials, method name and URI using the given authentication scheme in response to the actual authorization challenge.
java.lang.String	getID() Deprecated. no longer used
java.lang.String	getParameter(java.lang.String name) Returns authentication parameter with the given name, if available.
java.lang.String	getRealm() Returns authentication realm.
java.lang.String	getSchemeName() Returns textual designation of the given authentication scheme.
boolean	isComplete() Authentication process may involve a series of challenge-response exchanges.
boolean	isConnectionBased() Tests if the authentication scheme is provides authorization on a per connection basis instead of usual per request basis
void	processChallenge(java.lang.String challenge) Processes the given challenge token.

Method Detail

processChallenge

void processChallenge(java.lang.String challenge)
               throws MalformedChallengeException

Processes the given challenge token. Some authentication schemes may involve multiple challenge-response exchanges. Such schemes must be able to maintain the state information when dealing with sequential challenges

Parameters:

challenge - the challenge string

Throws:

MalformedChallengeException

Since:

3.0

getSchemeName

java.lang.String getSchemeName()

Returns textual designation of the given authentication scheme.

Returns:

the name of the given authentication scheme

getParameter

java.lang.String getParameter(java.lang.String name)

Returns authentication parameter with the given name, if available.

Parameters:

name - The name of the parameter to be returned

Returns:

the parameter with the given name

getRealm

java.lang.String getRealm()

Returns authentication realm. If the concept of an authentication realm is not applicable to the given authentication scheme, returns null.

Returns:

the authentication realm

getID

java.lang.String getID()

Deprecated. no longer used

Returns a String identifying the authentication challenge. This is used, in combination with the host and port to determine if authorization has already been attempted or not. Schemes which require multiple requests to complete the authentication should return a different value for each stage in the request.

Additionally, the ID should take into account any changes to the authentication challenge and return a different value when appropriate. For example when the realm changes in basic authentication it should be considered a different authentication attempt and a different value should be returned.

Returns:

String a String identifying the authentication challenge. The returned value may be null.

isConnectionBased

boolean isConnectionBased()

Tests if the authentication scheme is provides authorization on a per connection basis instead of usual per request basis

Returns:

true if the scheme is connection based, false if the scheme is request based.

Since:

3.0

isComplete

boolean isComplete()

Authentication process may involve a series of challenge-response exchanges. This method tests if the authorization process has been completed, either successfully or unsuccessfully, that is, all the required authorization challenges have been processed in their entirety.

Returns:

true if the authentication process has been completed, false otherwise.

Since:

3.0

authenticate

java.lang.String authenticate(Credentials credentials,
                              java.lang.String method,
                              java.lang.String uri)
                       throws AuthenticationException

Deprecated. Use authenticate(Credentials, HttpMethod) Produces an authorization string for the given set of Credentials, method name and URI using the given authentication scheme in response to the actual authorization challenge.

Parameters:

credentials - The set of credentials to be used for athentication

method - The name of the method that requires authorization. This parameter may be ignored, if it is irrelevant or not applicable to the given authentication scheme

uri - The URI for which authorization is needed. This parameter may be ignored, if it is irrelevant or not applicable to the given authentication scheme

Returns:

the authorization string

Throws:

AuthenticationException - if authorization string cannot be generated due to an authentication failure

See Also:

HttpMethod.getName(), HttpMethod.getPath()

authenticate

java.lang.String authenticate(Credentials credentials,
                              HttpMethod method)
                       throws AuthenticationException

Produces an authorization string for the given set of Credentials.

Parameters:

credentials - The set of credentials to be used for athentication

method - The method being authenticated

Returns:

the authorization string

Throws:

AuthenticationException - if authorization string cannot be generated due to an authentication failure

Since:

3.0