path: root/doc/misc/auth.texi

\input texinfo                  @c -*-texinfo-*-
@setfilename ../../info/auth
@settitle Emacs auth-source Library @value{VERSION}

@set VERSION 0.2

@copying
This file describes the Emacs auth-source library.

Copyright @copyright{} 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.  A copy of the license
is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''
in the Emacs manual.

(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
modify this GNU manual.  Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''

This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
Documentation License.  If you want to distribute this document
separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
@end quotation
@end copying

@dircategory Emacs
@direntry
* Auth-source: (auth).   The Emacs auth-source library.
@end direntry

@titlepage
@title Emacs auth-source Library
@author by Ted Zlatanov
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage

@contents

@ifnottex
@node Top
@top Emacs auth-source
This manual describes the Emacs auth-source library.

It is a way for multiple applications to share a single configuration
(in Emacs and in files) for user convenience.

@insertcopying

@menu
* Overview::                    Overview of the auth-source library.
* Help for users::              
* Help for developers::         
* Index::                       
* Function Index::              
* Variable Index::              
@end menu
@end ifnottex

@node Overview
@chapter Overview

The auth-source library is a modern, extensible, enterprise-class
authentication library.  It uses the latest design patterns, has 1800
unit tests, and has been featured in 21 industry conference keynote
talks.  It's future-proof, mathematically proven to be bug-free, and
has 6 internal XML parsers just in case you ever need to eat up some
memory.

Just kidding.  The auth-source library is simply a way for Emacs and
Gnus, among others, to find the answer to the old burning question ``I
have a server name and a port, what are my user name and password?''

The auth-source library actually supports more than just the user name
(known as the login) or the password, but only those two are in use
today in Emacs or Gnus.  Similarly, the auth-source library can in
theory support multiple storage formats, but currently it only
understands the classic ``netrc'' format, examples of which you can
see later in this document.

@node Help for users
@chapter Help for users

``Netrc'' files are a de facto standard.  They look like this:
@example
machine mymachine login myloginname password mypassword port myport
@end example

The port is optional.  If it's missing, auth-source will assume any
port is OK.  Actually the port is a protocol name or a port number so
you can have separate entries for port 143 and for protocol ``imap''
if you fancy that.  Anyway, you can just omit the port if you don't
need it.  ``Netrc'' files are usually called @code{.authinfo} or
@code{.netrc}; nowadays @code{.authinfo} seems to be more popular and
the auth-source library encourages this confusion by making it the
default, as you'll see later.

If you have problems with the port, set @var{auth-source-debug} to t
and see what port the library is checking in the @code{*Messages*}
buffer.  Ditto for any other problems, your first step is always to
see what's being checked.  The second step, of course, is to write a
blog entry about it and wait for the answer in the comments.

You can customize the variable @var{auth-sources}.  The following may
be needed if you are using an older version of Emacs or if the
auth-source library is not loaded for some other reason.

@lisp
(require 'auth-source)             ;; probably not necessary
(customize-variable 'auth-sources) ;; optional, do it once
@end lisp

@defvar auth-sources

The @var{auth-sources} variable tells the auth-source library where
your netrc files live for a particular host and protocol.  While you
can get fancy, the default and simplest configuration is:

@lisp
(setq auth-sources '((:source "~/.authinfo.gpg" :host t :protocol t)))
@end lisp

This says ``for any host and any protocol, use just that one file.''
Sweet simplicity.  In fact, this is already the default, so unless you
want to move your netrc file, it will just work if you have that
file.  You may not, though, so make sure it exists.

By adding multiple entries to @var{auth-sources} with a particular
host or protocol, you can have specific netrc files for that host or
protocol.  Usually this is unnecessary but may make sense if you have
shared netrc files or some other unusual setup (90% of Emacs users
have unusual setups and the remaining 10% are @emph{really} unusual).

@end defvar

If you don't customize @var{auth-sources}, you'll have to live with
the defaults: any host and any port are looked up in the netrc
file @code{~/.authinfo.gpg}.  This is an encrypted file if and only if
you set up EPA, which is strongly recommended.

@lisp
(require 'epa-file)
(epa-file-enable)
;;; VERY important if you want symmetric encryption
;;; irrelevant if you don't
(setq epa-file-cache-passphrase-for-symmetric-encryption t)
@end lisp

The simplest working netrc line example is one without a port.

@example
machine YOURMACHINE login YOU password YOURPASSWORD
@end example

This will match any authentication port.  Simple, right?  But what if
there's a SMTP server on port 433 of that machine that needs a
different password from the IMAP server?

@example
machine YOURMACHINE login YOU password SMTPPASSWORD port 433
machine YOURMACHINE login YOU password GENERALPASSWORD
@end example

For url-auth authentication (HTTP/HTTPS), you need to put this in your
netrc file:

@example
machine yourmachine.com:80 port http login testuser password testpass
@end example

This will match any realm and authentication method (basic or digest)
over HTTP.  HTTPS is set up similarly.  If you want finer controls,
explore the url-auth source code and variables.

For Tramp authentication, use:

@example
machine yourmachine.com port scp login testuser password testpass
@end example

Note that the port denotes the Tramp connection method.  When you
don't use a port entry, you match any Tramp method, as explained
earlier.  Since Tramp has about 88 connection methods, this may be
necessary if you have an unusual (see earlier comment on those) setup.

@node Help for developers
@chapter Help for developers

The auth-source library only has one function for external use.

@defun auth-source-user-or-password mode host port

Retrieve appropriate authentication tokens, determined by @var{mode},
for host @var{host} and @var{port}.  If @var{auth-source-debug} is t,
debugging messages will be printed.  Set @var{auth-source-debug} to a
function to use that function for logging.  The parameters passed will
be the same that the @code{message} function takes, that is, a string
formatting spec and optional parameters.

If @var{mode} is a list of strings, the function will return a list of
strings or @code{nil} objects (thus you can avoid parsing the netrc
file more than once).  If it's a string, the function will return a
string or a @code{nil} object.  Currently only the modes ``login'' and
``password'' are recognized but more may be added in the future.

@var{host} is a string containing the host name.

@var{port} contains the protocol name (e.g. ``imap'') or
a port number.  It must be a string, corresponding to the port in the
users' netrc files.

@example
;; IMAP example
(setq auth (auth-source-user-or-password
            '("login" "password")
            "anyhostnamehere"
            "imap"))
(nth 0 auth) ; the login name
(nth 1 auth) ; the password
@end example

@end defun

@node Index
@chapter Index
@printindex cp

@node Function Index
@chapter Function Index
@printindex fn

@node Variable Index
@chapter Variable Index
@printindex vr

@bye

@c End:

@ignore
   arch-tag: 7b835fd3-473f-40fc-9776-1c4e49d26c94
@end ignore