Authentication is the process of verifying a user’s credentials, such as a username and password, to confirm the user’s identity. Authentication protects data from unauthorized access.
The most common authentication methods include:
Strong password: use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
Password updates: change passwords at least every few months.
Software updates: install updates promptly to fix vulnerabilities.
Multi-factor authentication: additional checks, such as sending a code to a phone.
Password storage: use secure encryption algorithms.
Software updates: install updates promptly to fix vulnerabilities.
When we enter login/password and click «Login», the browser sends an HTTP request, for example:
POST
https://tester-today.com/login
Content-Type: application/json
{ "username": "login", "password": "pass" }
If authentication succeeds, the server responds with HTTP status 200 OK
If the client’s data does not match the data on the server, it returns an HTTP status 401 Unauthorized
With the GET method, data is usually sent directly in the URL.
This may lead to data leakage because of:
Use the HTTP POST method to send login and password.
In addition to form-based authentication, where data is sent in the request body, credentials can also be sent in the HTTP header Authorization . Often this is handled automatically by client libraries.
The Authorization header supports several authentication schemes:
Bearer
The client receives a token after login and sends it with each request.
Authorization: Bearer <токен>Basic
The username and password are encoded using Base64. The data can be easily decoded.
Authorization: Basic YWRtaW46cGFzc3dvcmQ=API Key
The client sends a unique key. It can be passed in any header or as a query parameter.
X-API-Key: 123456789abcdefУровень повышен!
