Basic authentication in Nginx - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is Basic Authentication in nginx?

Basic Authentication is a simple way to protect web pages by asking users for a username and password before allowing access.

beginner

Which nginx directive is used to enable Basic Authentication?

The auth_basic directive enables Basic Authentication in nginx.

intermediate

What file format does nginx use to store usernames and passwords for Basic Authentication?

Nginx uses a password file created by the htpasswd tool, which stores usernames and encrypted passwords.

intermediate

How do you create a password file for Basic Authentication?

Use the command htpasswd -c /path/to/.htpasswd username to create a new password file and add a user.

beginner

What happens if a user enters wrong credentials in Basic Authentication?

Nginx responds with a 401 Unauthorized status and asks the user to enter the correct username and password again.

Which directive enables Basic Authentication in nginx?

A auth_user

B basic_auth

C auth_basic

D user_auth

The correct directive to enable Basic Authentication in nginx is auth_basic.

What tool is commonly used to create the password file for nginx Basic Authentication?

A htpasswd

B passwdgen

C nginxpass

D authgen

The htpasswd tool is used to create and manage password files for Basic Authentication.

What HTTP status code does nginx return when Basic Authentication fails?

A 403 Forbidden

B 401 Unauthorized

C 404 Not Found

D 500 Internal Server Error

Nginx returns a 401 Unauthorized status code when authentication fails.

Where do you specify the path to the password file in nginx configuration?

A auth_basic_user_file

B auth_basic_file

C auth_basic_user_path

D auth_user_file

The directive auth_user_file specifies the path to the password file.

What is the purpose of the auth_basic directive's value?

A It sets the authentication realm shown to users

B It sets the username

C It disables authentication

D It sets the password file path

The value of auth_basic sets the authentication realm, a message shown in the login prompt.

Explain how to set up Basic Authentication in nginx from creating the password file to configuring nginx.

Think about the steps from user creation to nginx config.

Describe what happens when a user tries to access a protected page with Basic Authentication enabled.

Focus on the interaction between user and server.