========================================================= Authenticating against Django's user database from Apache ========================================================= .. warning:: Support for mod_python has been deprecated within Django. At that time, this method of authentication will no longer be provided by Django. The community is welcome to offer its own alternate solutions using WSGI middleware or other approaches. Since keeping multiple authentication databases in sync is a common problem when dealing with Apache, you can configuring Apache to authenticate against Django's :doc:`authentication system ` directly. For example, you could: * Serve static/media files directly from Apache only to authenticated users. * Authenticate access to a Subversion_ repository against Django users with a certain permission. * Allow certain users to connect to a WebDAV share created with mod_dav_. .. _Subversion: http://subversion.tigris.org/ .. _mod_dav: http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/mod_dav.html Configuring Apache ================== To check against Django's authorization database from a Apache configuration file, you'll need to use mod_python's ``PythonAuthenHandler`` directive along with the standard ``Auth*`` and ``Require`` directives: .. code-block:: apache AuthType Basic AuthName "example.com" Require valid-user SetEnv DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE mysite.settings PythonAuthenHandler django.contrib.auth.handlers.modpython .. admonition:: Using the authentication handler with Apache 2.2 If you're using Apache 2.2, you'll need to take a couple extra steps. You'll need to ensure that ``mod_auth_basic`` and ``mod_authz_user`` are loaded. These might be compiled statically into Apache, or you might need to use ``LoadModule`` to load them dynamically (as shown in the example at the bottom of this note). You'll also need to insert configuration directives that prevent Apache from trying to use other authentication modules, as well as specifying the ``AuthUserFile`` directive and pointing it to ``/dev/null``. Depending on which other authentication modules you have loaded, you might need one or more of the following directives: .. code-block:: apache AuthBasicAuthoritative Off AuthDefaultAuthoritative Off AuthzLDAPAuthoritative Off AuthzDBMAuthoritative Off AuthzDefaultAuthoritative Off AuthzGroupFileAuthoritative Off AuthzOwnerAuthoritative Off AuthzUserAuthoritative Off A complete configuration, with differences between Apache 2.0 and Apache 2.2 marked in bold, would look something like: .. parsed-literal:: **LoadModule auth_basic_module modules/mod_auth_basic.so** **LoadModule authz_user_module modules/mod_authz_user.so** ... AuthType Basic AuthName "example.com" **AuthUserFile /dev/null** **AuthBasicAuthoritative Off** Require valid-user SetEnv DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE mysite.settings PythonAuthenHandler django.contrib.auth.handlers.modpython By default, the authentication handler will limit access to the ``/example/`` location to users marked as staff members. You can use a set of ``PythonOption`` directives to modify this behavior: ================================ ========================================= ``PythonOption`` Explanation ================================ ========================================= ``DjangoRequireStaffStatus`` If set to ``on`` only "staff" users (i.e. those with the ``is_staff`` flag set) will be allowed. Defaults to ``on``. ``DjangoRequireSuperuserStatus`` If set to ``on`` only superusers (i.e. those with the ``is_superuser`` flag set) will be allowed. Defaults to ``off``. ``DjangoPermissionName`` The name of a permission to require for access. See :ref:`custom permissions ` for more information. By default no specific permission will be required. ================================ ========================================= Note that sometimes ``SetEnv`` doesn't play well in this mod_python configuration, for reasons unknown. If you're having problems getting mod_python to recognize your ``DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE``, you can set it using ``PythonOption`` instead of ``SetEnv``. Therefore, these two Apache directives are equivalent:: SetEnv DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE mysite.settings PythonOption DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE mysite.settings