Class Authenticator

public abstract class Authenticator
extends Object

The class Authenticator represents an object that knows how to obtain authentication for a network connection. Usually, it will do this by prompting the user for information.

Applications use this class by overriding getPasswordAuthentication() in a sub-class. This method will typically use the various getXXX() accessor methods to get information about the entity requesting authentication. It must then acquire a username and password either by interacting with the user or through some other non-interactive means. The credentials are then returned as a PasswordAuthentication return value.

An instance of this concrete sub-class is then registered with the system by calling setDefault(Authenticator). When authentication is required, the system will invoke one of the requestPasswordAuthentication() methods which in turn will call the getPasswordAuthentication() method of the registered object.

All methods that request authentication have a default implementation that fails.

Constructors

Authenticator

public Authenticator()

Methods

setDefault

public static void setDefault(Authenticator a)

Parameters:

a - The authenticator to be set. If a is null then any previously set authenticator is removed.

Throws:

SecurityException - if a security manager exists and its checkPermission method doesn't allow setting the default authenticator.

See Also:

SecurityManager.checkPermission(java.security.Permission), NetPermission

requestPasswordAuthentication

public static PasswordAuthentication requestPasswordAuthentication(InetAddress addr,
                                                                   int port,
                                                                   String protocol,
                                                                   String prompt,
                                                                   String scheme)

Parameters:

addr - The InetAddress of the site requesting authorization, or null if not known.

port - the port for the requested connection

protocol - The protocol that's requesting the connection (getRequestingProtocol())

prompt - A prompt string for the user

scheme - The authentication scheme

Returns:

The username/password, or null if one can't be gotten.

Throws:

SecurityException - if a security manager exists and its checkPermission method doesn't allow the password authentication request.

See Also:

SecurityManager.checkPermission(java.security.Permission), NetPermission

requestPasswordAuthentication

public static PasswordAuthentication requestPasswordAuthentication(String host,
                                                                   InetAddress addr,
                                                                   int port,
                                                                   String protocol,
                                                                   String prompt,
                                                                   String scheme)

Parameters:

host - The hostname of the site requesting authentication.

addr - The InetAddress of the site requesting authentication, or null if not known.

port - the port for the requested connection.

protocol - The protocol that's requesting the connection (getRequestingProtocol())

prompt - A prompt string for the user which identifies the authentication realm.

scheme - The authentication scheme

Returns:

The username/password, or null if one can't be gotten.

Throws:

SecurityException - if a security manager exists and its checkPermission method doesn't allow the password authentication request.

Since:

1.4

See Also:

SecurityManager.checkPermission(java.security.Permission), NetPermission

requestPasswordAuthentication

public static PasswordAuthentication requestPasswordAuthentication(String host,
                                                                   InetAddress addr,
                                                                   int port,
                                                                   String protocol,
                                                                   String prompt,
                                                                   String scheme,
                                                                   URL url,
                                                                   Authenticator.RequestorType reqType)

Parameters:

host - The hostname of the site requesting authentication.

addr - The InetAddress of the site requesting authorization, or null if not known.

port - the port for the requested connection

protocol - The protocol that's requesting the connection (getRequestingProtocol())

prompt - A prompt string for the user

scheme - The authentication scheme

url - The requesting URL that caused the authentication

reqType - The type (server or proxy) of the entity requesting authentication.

Returns:

The username/password, or null if one can't be gotten.

Throws:

SecurityException - if a security manager exists and its checkPermission method doesn't allow the password authentication request.

Since:

1.5

See Also:

SecurityManager.checkPermission(java.security.Permission), NetPermission

getRequestingHost

protected final String getRequestingHost()

Gets the hostname of the site or proxy requesting authentication, or null if not available.

Returns:

the hostname of the connection requiring authentication, or null if it's not available.

Since:

1.4

getRequestingSite

protected final InetAddress getRequestingSite()

Gets the InetAddress of the site requesting authorization, or null if not available.

Returns:

the InetAddress of the site requesting authorization, or null if it's not available.

getRequestingPort

protected final int getRequestingPort()

Gets the port number for the requested connection.

Returns:

an int indicating the port for the requested connection.

getRequestingProtocol

protected final String getRequestingProtocol()

Give the protocol that's requesting the connection. Often this will be based on a URL, but in a future JDK it could be, for example, "SOCKS" for a password-protected SOCKS5 firewall.

Returns:

the protocol, optionally followed by "/version", where version is a version number.

See Also:

URL.getProtocol()

getRequestingPrompt

protected final String getRequestingPrompt()

Gets the prompt string given by the requestor.

Returns:

the prompt string given by the requestor (realm for http requests)

getRequestingScheme

protected final String getRequestingScheme()

Gets the scheme of the requestor (the HTTP scheme for an HTTP firewall, for example).

Returns:

the scheme of the requestor

getPasswordAuthentication

protected PasswordAuthentication getPasswordAuthentication()

Called when password authorization is needed. Subclasses should override the default implementation, which returns null.

Returns:

The PasswordAuthentication collected from the user, or null if none is provided.

getRequestingURL

protected URL getRequestingURL()

Returns the URL that resulted in this request for authentication.

Returns:

the requesting URL

Since:

1.5

getRequestorType

protected Authenticator.RequestorType getRequestorType()

Returns whether the requestor is a Proxy or a Server.

Returns:

the authentication type of the requestor

Since:

1.5