Added the introduction to the documentation.
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Introduction
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============
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*Flask-Digest-Auth* is an `HTTP Digest Authentication`_ implementation
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for Flask_ applications. It authenticates the user for the protected
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views.
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HTTP Digest Authentication is specified in `RFC 2617`_.
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See :ref:`example-alone-simple` and :ref:`example-alone-large`.
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Why HTTP Digest Authentication?
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-------------------------------
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HTTP Digest Authentication has the advantage that it does not send the
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actual password to the server, which greatly enhances the security.
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It uses the challenge-response authentication scheme. The client
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returns the response calculated from the challenge and the password,
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but not the original password.
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Log in forms has the advantage of freedom, in the senses of both the
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visual design and the actual implementation. You may implement your
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own challenge-response log in form, but then you are reinventing the
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wheels. If a pretty log in form is not critical to your project, HTTP
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Digest Authentication should be a good choice.
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Flask-Digest-Auth works with Flask-Login_. Log in protection can be
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separated with the authentication mechanism. You can create protected
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Flask modules without knowing the actual authentication mechanisms.
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Features
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--------
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There are a couple of Flask HTTP digest authentication
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implementations. Flask-Digest-Auth has the following features:
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Flask-Login Integration
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#######################
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Flask-Digest-Auth features Flask-Login integration. The views
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can be totally independent with the actual authentication mechanism.
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You can write a Flask module that requires log in, without specify
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the actual authentication mechanism. The application can specify
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either HTTP Digest Authentication, or the log in forms, as needed.
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See :ref:`example-flask-login-simple` and
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:ref:`example-flask-login-large`.
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Session Integration
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###################
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Flask-Digest-Auth features session integration. The user log in
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is remembered in the session. The authentication information is not
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requested again. This is different to the practice of the HTTP Digest
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Authentication, but is convenient for the log in accounting.
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Log In Bookkeeping
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##################
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You can register a callback to run when the user logs in.
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See :meth:`flask_digest_auth.DigestAuth.register_on_login`.
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Log Out
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#######
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Flask-Digest-Auth supports log out. The user will be prompted for the
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new username and password.
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See :meth:`flask_digest_auth.DigestAuth.logout`.
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Test Client
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###########
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Flask-Digest-Auth comes with a test client that supports HTTP digest
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authentication.
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See :class:`flask_digest_auth.Client`.
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Also see :ref:`example-unittest` and :ref:`example-pytest`.
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.. _HTTP Digest Authentication: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digest_access_authentication
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.. _RFC 2617: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2617
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.. _Flask: https://flask.palletsprojects.com
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.. _Flask-Login: https://flask-login.readthedocs.io
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