.htpasswd
Encyclopedia
.htpasswd is a flat-file used to store usernames and password for basic authentication of Apache HTTP Server
. The name of the file is given by in the .htaccess
configuration, and can be anything, but ".htpasswd" is the canonical name. The file name starts with a dot, because most Unix-like
operating systems consider any file that begins with dot to be hidden. This file is often maintained with the shell command "htpasswd" which can add, delete, and update users, and will properly encode the password for use (so that it is easily checked, but not reversed back to the original password).
The file consists of rows, each row corresponds to a pair of username and hashed password separated with the colon in between. The hash is typically "UNIX crypt" style with MD5
or SHA1 as common alternatives.
Resources available from the Apache HTTP server can be restricted to just the users listed in the files created by htpasswd.
Apache HTTP Server
The Apache HTTP Server, commonly referred to as Apache , is web server software notable for playing a key role in the initial growth of the World Wide Web. In 2009 it became the first web server software to surpass the 100 million website milestone...
. The name of the file is given by in the .htaccess
.htaccess
A .htaccess file is a directory-level configuration file supported by several web servers, that allows for decentralized management of web server configuration....
configuration, and can be anything, but ".htpasswd" is the canonical name. The file name starts with a dot, because most Unix-like
Unix-like
A Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification....
operating systems consider any file that begins with dot to be hidden. This file is often maintained with the shell command "htpasswd" which can add, delete, and update users, and will properly encode the password for use (so that it is easily checked, but not reversed back to the original password).
The file consists of rows, each row corresponds to a pair of username and hashed password separated with the colon in between. The hash is typically "UNIX crypt" style with MD5
MD5
The MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm is a widely used cryptographic hash function that produces a 128-bit hash value. Specified in RFC 1321, MD5 has been employed in a wide variety of security applications, and is also commonly used to check data integrity...
or SHA1 as common alternatives.
Resources available from the Apache HTTP server can be restricted to just the users listed in the files created by htpasswd.