Controlling Access I: Authentication

Summary

In this chapter, we have surveyed the complex task of authenticating your users, that is, attempting to identify them to make sure that they are indeed exactly who they are representing themselves to be. We have discussed both the Basic and Digest flavors of HTTP Authentication, two-factor authentication, certificate-based authentication schemes, and Single Sign-On schemes; and where appropriate, we have provided PHP-based solutions to the dilemma of accomplishing this authentication safely and easily.

Now that we can have some confidence in who our users are, we will turn in Chapter 10 to controlling their access to the various parts of your server’s resources.