Chapter 11. Identity and authentication
This chapter covers:
- Storing passwords securely
- Authenticating users against LDAP and Active Directory
- Authenticating Rails applications using restful_authentication
- Authenticating semiprivate personal feeds
- Authenticating using HTTP Basic authentication
- Authenticating Rails applications using OpenID
Trust is the foundation of successful networked systems. If you are providing a personalized service over a network, you need to be able to trust that your users are who they say they are, and your users must trust you with their identity and their personal data. This chapter looks primarily at how you can trust your users—by implementing a robust authentication mechanism. How well you execute that authentication will influence how much trust your users will place in your application. Your approach to security has a big impact, whether you are ensuring that users’ passwords are safe, or you are offering an authentication option that involves a trusted third party.
In this chapter, we take a look at how to use Ruby and Rails to implement your own secure authentication schemes as well as integrate with established authentication mechanisms like Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Active Directory, and OpenID.