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<a href="https://www.apache.org/">Apache</a> > <a href="https://httpd.apache.org/">HTTP Server</a> > <a href="https://httpd.apache.org/docs/">Documentation</a> > <a href="../">Version 2.4</a> > <a href="./">Modules</a></div>
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<div id="preamble"><h1>Apache Module mod_authn_dbm</h1>
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<table class="module"><tr><th><a href="module-dict.html#Description">Description:</a></th><td>User authentication using DBM files</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="module-dict.html#Status">Status:</a></th><td>Extension</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="module-dict.html#ModuleIdentifier">Module Identifier:</a></th><td>authn_dbm_module</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="module-dict.html#SourceFile">Source File:</a></th><td>mod_authn_dbm.c</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="module-dict.html#Compatibility">Compatibility:</a></th><td>Available in Apache 2.1 and later</td></tr></table>
<h3>Summary</h3>
<p>This module provides authentication front-ends such as
<code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_digest.html">mod_auth_digest</a></code> and <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_basic.html">mod_auth_basic</a></code>
to authenticate users by looking up users in <dfn>dbm</dfn> password
files. Similar functionality is provided by
<code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_authn_file.html">mod_authn_file</a></code>.</p>
<p>When using <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_basic.html">mod_auth_basic</a></code> or
<code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_digest.html">mod_auth_digest</a></code>, this module is invoked via the
<code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_basic.html#authbasicprovider">AuthBasicProvider</a></code> or
<code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_digest.html#authdigestprovider">AuthDigestProvider</a></code>
with the <code>dbm</code> value.</p>
</div>
<div id="quickview"><h3 class="directives">Directives</h3>
<ul id="toc">
<li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif"> <a href="#authdbmtype">AuthDBMType</a></li>
<li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif"> <a href="#authdbmuserfile">AuthDBMUserFile</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Bugfix checklist</h3><ul class="seealso"><li><a href="https://www.apache.org/dist/httpd/CHANGES_2.4">httpd changelog</a></li><li><a href="https://bz.apache.org/bugzilla/buglist.cgi?bug_status=__open__&list_id=144532&product=Apache%20httpd-2&query_format=specific&order=changeddate%20DESC%2Cpriority%2Cbug_severity&component=mod_authn_dbm">Known issues</a></li><li><a href="https://bz.apache.org/bugzilla/enter_bug.cgi?product=Apache%20httpd-2&component=mod_authn_dbm">Report a bug</a></li></ul><h3>See also</h3>
<ul class="seealso">
<li><code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_authn_core.html#authname">AuthName</a></code></li>
<li><code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_authn_core.html#authtype">AuthType</a></code></li>
<li>
<code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_basic.html#authbasicprovider">AuthBasicProvider</a></code>
</li>
<li>
<code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_digest.html#authdigestprovider">AuthDigestProvider</a></code>
</li>
<li><code class="program"><a href="../programs/htpasswd.html">htpasswd</a></code></li>
<li><code class="program"><a href="../programs/htdbm.html">htdbm</a></code></li>
<li><a href="../misc/password_encryptions.html">Password Formats</a></li>
</ul></div>
<div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif"></a></div>
<div class="directive-section"><h2 id="authdbmtype"><span id="AuthDBMType">AuthDBMType</span> Directive <a title="Permanent link" href="#authdbmtype" class="permalink">¶</a></h2>
<table class="directive">
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description:</a></th><td>Sets the type of database file that is used to
store passwords</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:</a></th><td><code>AuthDBMType default|SDBM|GDBM|NDBM|DB</code></td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default:</a></th><td><code>AuthDBMType default</code></td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:</a></th><td>directory, .htaccess</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Override">Override:</a></th><td>AuthConfig</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:</a></th><td>Extension</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:</a></th><td>mod_authn_dbm</td></tr>
</table>
<p>Sets the type of database file that is used to store the passwords.
The default database type is determined at compile time. The
availability of other types of database files also depends on
<a href="../programs/configure.html#options">compile-time settings</a>.</p>
<p>For example, in order to enable the support for Berkeley DB
(correspondent to the <code>db</code> type) the
<code>--with-berkeley-db</code> option needs to be added to httpd's
configure to generate the necessary DSO.</p>
<p>It is crucial that whatever program you use to create your password
files is configured to use the same type of database.</p>
</div>
<div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif"></a></div>
<div class="directive-section"><h2 id="authdbmuserfile"><span id="AuthDBMUserFile">AuthDBMUserFile</span> Directive <a title="Permanent link" href="#authdbmuserfile" class="permalink">¶</a></h2>
<table class="directive">
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description:</a></th><td>Sets the name of a database file containing the list of users and
passwords for authentication</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:</a></th><td><code>AuthDBMUserFile <var>file-path</var></code></td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:</a></th><td>directory, .htaccess</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Override">Override:</a></th><td>AuthConfig</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:</a></th><td>Extension</td></tr>
<tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:</a></th><td>mod_authn_dbm</td></tr>
</table>
<p>The <code class="directive">AuthDBMUserFile</code> directive sets the
name of a DBM file containing the list of users and passwords for
user authentication. <var>File-path</var> is the absolute path to
the user file.</p>
<p>The user file is keyed on the username. The value for a user is
the encrypted password, optionally followed by a colon and arbitrary
data. The colon and the data following it will be ignored by the
server.</p>
<div class="warning"><h3>Security:</h3>
<p>Make sure that the <code class="directive">AuthDBMUserFile</code> is stored
outside the document tree of the web-server; do <em>not</em> put it in
the directory that it protects. Otherwise, clients will be able to
download the <code class="directive">AuthDBMUserFile</code>.</p>
</div>
<p>The encrypted password format depends on which authentication
frontend (e.g. <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_basic.html">mod_auth_basic</a></code> or
<code class="module"><a href="../mod/mod_auth_digest.html">mod_auth_digest</a></code>) is being used. See <a href="../misc/password_encryptions.html">Password Formats</a> for
more information.</p>
<p>Important compatibility note: The implementation of
<code>dbmopen</code> in the Apache modules reads the string length of
the hashed values from the DBM data structures, rather than relying
upon the string being NULL-appended. Some applications, such as
the Netscape web server, rely upon the string being
NULL-appended, so if you are having trouble using DBM files
interchangeably between applications this may be a part of the
problem.</p>
<p>A perl script called
<code class="program"><a href="../programs/dbmmanage.html">dbmmanage</a></code> is included with
Apache. This program can be used to create and update DBM
format password files for use with this module. Another
tool for maintaining the DBM files is the included program
<code class="program"><a href="../programs/htdbm.html">htdbm</a></code>.</p>
</div>
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