Apache Module mod_authn_anon

Summary

This module provides authentication front-ends such asmod_auth_basic to authenticate users similar to anonymous-ftp sites,i.e. have a 'magic' user id 'anonymous' and the email address as a password. These email addresses can be logged.

Combined with other (database) access control methods, this allows for effective user tracking and customization according to a user profile while still keeping the site open for 'unregistered' users. One advantage of using Auth-based user tracking is that, unlike magic-cookies and funny URL pre/postfixes, it is completely browser independent and it allows users to share URLs.

When usingmod_auth_basic, this module is invoked via theAuthBasicProvider directive with theanon value.

Topics

• Example

Directives

• Anonymous
• Anonymous_LogEmail
• Anonymous_MustGiveEmail
• Anonymous_NoUserID
• Anonymous_VerifyEmail

Bugfix checklist

• httpd changelog
• Known issues
• Report a bug

See also

• Comments

Example

The example below is combined with "normal" htpasswd-file based authentication and allows users in additionally as 'guests' with the following properties:

• It insists that the user enters a userID. (Anonymous_NoUserID)
• It insists that the user enters a password. (Anonymous_MustGiveEmail)
• The password entered must be a valid email address,i.e. contain at least one '@' and a '.'. (Anonymous_VerifyEmail)
• The userID must be one ofanonymous guest www test welcome and comparison isnot case sensitive. (Anonymous)
• And the Email addresses entered in the passwd field are logged to the error log file. (Anonymous_LogEmail)

<Directory "/var/www/html/private">    AuthName "Use 'anonymous' & Email address for guest entry"    AuthType Basic    AuthBasicProvider file anon    AuthUserFile "/path/to/your/.htpasswd"        Anonymous_NoUserID off    Anonymous_MustGiveEmail on    Anonymous_VerifyEmail on    Anonymous_LogEmail on    Anonymous anonymous guest www test welcome        Require valid-user</Directory>

AnonymousDirective

A list of one or more 'magic' userIDs which are allowed access without password verification. The userIDs are space separated. It is possible to use the ' and " quotes to allow a space in a userID as well as the \ escape character.

Please note that the comparison iscase-IN-sensitive.
It's strongly recommended that the magic username 'anonymous' is always one of the allowed userIDs.

Anonymous anonymous "Not Registered" "I don't know"

This would allow the user to enter without password verification by using the userIDs "anonymous", "AnonyMous", "Not Registered" and "I Don't Know".

As of Apache 2.1 it is possible to specify the userID as "*". That allowsany supplied userID to be accepted.

Anonymous_LogEmailDirective

When setOn, the default, the 'password' entered (which hopefully contains a sensible email address) is logged in the error log.

Anonymous_MustGiveEmailDirective

Specifies whether the user must specify an email address as the password. This prohibits blank passwords.

Anonymous_NoUserIDDirective

When setOn, users can leave the userID (and perhaps the password field) empty. This can be very convenient for MS-Explorer users who can just hit return or click directly on the OK button; which seems a natural reaction.

Anonymous_VerifyEmailDirective

When setOn the 'password' entered is checked for at least one '@' and a '.' to encourage users to enter valid email addresses (see the aboveAnonymous_LogEmail).