Authenticator

public abstract class Authenticator
extends Object

java.lang.Object
   ↳ java.net.Authenticator


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(java.net.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.

Summary

Public constructors

Authenticator()

Public methods

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

Ask the authenticator that has been registered with the system for a password.

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

Ask the authenticator that has been registered with the system for a password.

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

Ask the authenticator that has been registered with the system for a password.

static void setDefault(Authenticator a)

Sets the authenticator that will be used by the networking code when a proxy or an HTTP server asks for authentication.

Protected methods

PasswordAuthentication getPasswordAuthentication()

Called when password authorization is needed.

final String getRequestingHost()

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

final int getRequestingPort()

Gets the port number for the requested connection.

final String getRequestingPrompt()

Gets the prompt string given by the requestor.

final String getRequestingProtocol()

Give the protocol that's requesting the connection.

final String getRequestingScheme()

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

final InetAddress getRequestingSite()

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

URL getRequestingURL()

Returns the URL that resulted in this request for authentication.

Authenticator.RequestorType getRequestorType()

Returns whether the requestor is a Proxy or a Server.

Inherited methods

Public constructors

Authenticator

Added in API level 1
public Authenticator ()

Public methods

requestPasswordAuthentication

Added in API level 1
public static PasswordAuthentication requestPasswordAuthentication (String host, 
                InetAddress addr, 
                int port, 
                String protocol, 
                String prompt, 
                String scheme, 
                URL url, 
                Authenticator.RequestorType reqType)

Ask the authenticator that has been registered with the system for a password.

First, if there is a security manager, its checkPermission method is called with a NetPermission("requestPasswordAuthentication") permission. This may result in a java.lang.SecurityException.

Parameters
host String: The hostname of the site requesting authentication.

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

port int: the port for the requested connection

protocol String: The protocol that's requesting the connection (getRequestingProtocol())

prompt String: A prompt string for the user

scheme String: The authentication scheme

url URL: The requesting URL that caused the authentication

reqType Authenticator.RequestorType: The type (server or proxy) of the entity requesting authentication.

Returns
PasswordAuthentication 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.

requestPasswordAuthentication

Added in API level 1
public static PasswordAuthentication requestPasswordAuthentication (InetAddress addr, 
                int port, 
                String protocol, 
                String prompt, 
                String scheme)

Ask the authenticator that has been registered with the system for a password.

First, if there is a security manager, its checkPermission method is called with a NetPermission("requestPasswordAuthentication") permission. This may result in a java.lang.SecurityException.

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

port int: the port for the requested connection

protocol String: The protocol that's requesting the connection (getRequestingProtocol())

prompt String: A prompt string for the user

scheme String: The authentication scheme

Returns
PasswordAuthentication 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.

requestPasswordAuthentication

Added in API level 1
public static PasswordAuthentication requestPasswordAuthentication (String host, 
                InetAddress addr, 
                int port, 
                String protocol, 
                String prompt, 
                String scheme)

Ask the authenticator that has been registered with the system for a password. This is the preferred method for requesting a password because the hostname can be provided in cases where the InetAddress is not available.

First, if there is a security manager, its checkPermission method is called with a NetPermission("requestPasswordAuthentication") permission. This may result in a java.lang.SecurityException.

Parameters
host String: The hostname of the site requesting authentication.

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

port int: the port for the requested connection.

protocol String: The protocol that's requesting the connection (getRequestingProtocol())

prompt String: A prompt string for the user which identifies the authentication realm.

scheme String: The authentication scheme

Returns
PasswordAuthentication 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.

setDefault

Added in API level 1
public static void setDefault (Authenticator a)

Sets the authenticator that will be used by the networking code when a proxy or an HTTP server asks for authentication.

First, if there is a security manager, its checkPermission method is called with a NetPermission("setDefaultAuthenticator") permission. This may result in a java.lang.SecurityException.

Parameters
a Authenticator: 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.

Protected methods

getPasswordAuthentication

Added in API level 1
protected PasswordAuthentication getPasswordAuthentication ()

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

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

getRequestingHost

Added in API level 1
protected final String getRequestingHost ()

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

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

getRequestingPort

Added in API level 1
protected final int getRequestingPort ()

Gets the port number for the requested connection.

Returns
int an int indicating the port for the requested connection.

getRequestingPrompt

Added in API level 1
protected final String getRequestingPrompt ()

Gets the prompt string given by the requestor.

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

getRequestingProtocol

Added in API level 1
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
String the protocol, optionally followed by "/version", where version is a version number.

See also:

getRequestingScheme

Added in API level 1
protected final String getRequestingScheme ()

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

Returns
String the scheme of the requestor

getRequestingSite

Added in API level 1
protected final InetAddress getRequestingSite ()

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

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

getRequestingURL

Added in API level 1
protected URL getRequestingURL ()

Returns the URL that resulted in this request for authentication.

Returns
URL the requesting URL

getRequestorType

Added in API level 1
protected Authenticator.RequestorType getRequestorType ()

Returns whether the requestor is a Proxy or a Server.

Returns
Authenticator.RequestorType the authentication type of the requestor