Stuck with Python HTTP Server with Basic Authentication using BaseHTTP

Question

I am stuck trying to get a python based webserver to work.

I want to do Basic Authentication (sending a 401 header) and authenticating against a list of users. I have no trouble sending the 401 response with "WWW-Authorize" header, I can validate the users response (base64 encoded username & password), however, the login box keeps popping up after successful validation.

import SimpleHTTPServer
import SocketServer
from BaseHTTPServer import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer

class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    ''' Main class to present webpages and authentication. '''
    def do_HEAD(self):
        print "send header"
        self.send_response(401)
        self.send_header('WWW-Authenticate', 'Basic realm=\"Test\"')
        self.send_header('Content-type', 'text/html')
        self.end_headers()

    def do_GET(self):
        ''' Present frontpage with user authentication. '''
        self.do_HEAD()

        if self.headers.getheader('Authorization') == None:
            self.wfile.write('no auth header received')
            pass
        elif self.headers.getheader('Authorization') == 'Basic dGVzdDp0ZXN0':
            self.wfile.write(self.headers.getheader('Authorization'))
            self.wfile.write('authenticated!')
            pass
        else:
            self.wfile.write(self.headers.getheader('Authorization'))
            self.wfile.write('not authenticated')
            pass

httpd = SocketServer.TCPServer(("", 10001), Handler)

httpd.serve_forever()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

On first load (http://localhost:10001) the loginbox pops up, I enter test, test (the correct user) user is validated ok, but box pops back up, if I click cancel, I get to the validated page...

Can anyone lend a hand here? I suspect it has something to do with the fact that authorization happens under do_GET, which is triggered everytime a page loads.

Answer 1

Try this for size:

import SimpleHTTPServer
import SocketServer
from BaseHTTPServer import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer

class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    ''' Main class to present webpages and authentication. '''
    def do_HEAD(self):
        print "send header"
        self.send_response(200)
        self.send_header('Content-type', 'text/html')
        self.end_headers()

    def do_AUTHHEAD(self):
        print "send header"
        self.send_response(401)
        self.send_header('WWW-Authenticate', 'Basic realm=\"Test\"')
        self.send_header('Content-type', 'text/html')
        self.end_headers()

    def do_GET(self):
        ''' Present frontpage with user authentication. '''
        if self.headers.getheader('Authorization') == None:
            self.do_AUTHHEAD()
            self.wfile.write('no auth header received')
            pass
        elif self.headers.getheader('Authorization') == 'Basic dGVzdDp0ZXN0':
            self.do_HEAD()
            self.wfile.write(self.headers.getheader('Authorization'))
            self.wfile.write('authenticated!')
            pass
        else:
            self.do_AUTHHEAD()
            self.wfile.write(self.headers.getheader('Authorization'))
            self.wfile.write('not authenticated')
            pass

httpd = SocketServer.TCPServer(("", 10001), Handler)

httpd.serve_forever()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()