comparison doc/misc/auth.texi @ 107564:be11042041cb

2010-03-27 Teodor Zlatanov <[e-mail]> * auth.texi (Secret Service API): Add TODO node. (Help for users): Explain the new source options for `auth-sources'.

107563:95c2fdf14356

@insertcopying

@menu
* Overview::                    Overview of the auth-source library.
* Help for users::              
* Help for developers::         
* Index::                       
* Function Index::              
* Variable Index::              
@end menu

@node Overview
@chapter Overview

The auth-source library is simply a way for Emacs and Gnus, among
others, to find the answer to the old burning question ``I have a
server name and a port, what are my user name and password?''

The auth-source library actually supports more than just the user name
(known as the login) or the password, but only those two are in use
today in Emacs or Gnus.  Similarly, the auth-source library can in
theory support multiple storage formats, but currently it only
understands the classic ``netrc'' format, examples of which you can
see later in this document.

@node Help for users
@chapter Help for users

``Netrc'' files are a de facto standard.  They look like this:

@end lisp

@defvar auth-sources

The @code{auth-sources} variable tells the auth-source library where
your netrc files live for a particular host and protocol.  While you
can get fancy, the default and simplest configuration is:

@lisp
(setq auth-sources '((:source "~/.authinfo.gpg" :host t :protocol t)))
@end lisp

This says ``for any host and any protocol, use just that one file.''
Sweet simplicity.  In fact, this is already the default, so unless you
want to move your netrc file, it will just work if you have that
file.  You may not, though, so make sure it exists.

By adding multiple entries to @code{auth-sources} with a particular
host or protocol, you can have specific netrc files for that host or
protocol.  Usually this is unnecessary but may make sense if you have
shared netrc files or some other unusual setup (90% of Emacs users
have unusual setups and the remaining 10% are @emph{really} unusual).

@end defvar

If you don't customize @code{auth-sources}, you'll have to live with
the defaults: any host and any port are looked up in the netrc
file @code{~/.authinfo.gpg}.  This is an encrypted file if and only if

Note that the port denotes the Tramp connection method.  When you
don't use a port entry, you match any Tramp method, as explained
earlier.  Since Tramp has about 88 connection methods, this may be
necessary if you have an unusual (see earlier comment on those) setup.

@node Help for developers
@chapter Help for developers

The auth-source library only has one function for external use.

@defun auth-source-user-or-password mode host port

Retrieve appropriate authentication tokens, determined by @var{mode},
for host @var{host} and @var{port}.  If @code{auth-source-debug} is t,
debugging messages will be printed.  Set @code{auth-source-debug} to a
function to use that function for logging.  The parameters passed will
be the same that the @code{message} function takes, that is, a string
formatting spec and optional parameters.

If @var{mode} is a list of strings, the function will return a list of
strings or @code{nil} objects (thus you can avoid parsing the netrc
file more than once).  If it's a string, the function will return a
string or a @code{nil} object.  Currently only the modes ``login'' and
``password'' are recognized but more may be added in the future.

@var{host} is a string containing the host name.

@var{port} contains the protocol name (e.g. ``imap'') or
a port number.  It must be a string, corresponding to the port in the
users' netrc files.

@example
;; IMAP example
(setq auth (auth-source-user-or-password
            '("login" "password")

107564:be11042041cb

@insertcopying

@menu
* Overview::                    Overview of the auth-source library.
* Help for users::              
* Secret Service API::          
* Help for developers::         
* Index::                       
* Function Index::              
* Variable Index::              
@end menu

@node Overview
@chapter Overview

The auth-source library is simply a way for Emacs and Gnus, among
others, to answer the old burning question ``I have a server name and
a port, what are my user name and password?''

The auth-source library actually supports more than just the user name
(known as the login) or the password, but only those two are in use
today in Emacs or Gnus.  Similarly, the auth-source library supports
multiple storage formats, currently either the classic ``netrc''
format, examples of which you can see later in this document, or the
Secret Service API.

@node Help for users
@chapter Help for users

``Netrc'' files are a de facto standard.  They look like this:

@end lisp

@defvar auth-sources

The @code{auth-sources} variable tells the auth-source library where
your netrc files or Secret Service API collection items live for a
particular host and protocol.  While you can get fancy, the default
and simplest configuration is:

@lisp
;;; old default: required :host and :protocol, not needed anymore
(setq auth-sources '((:source "~/.authinfo.gpg" :host t :protocol t)))
;;; mostly equivalent (see below about fallbacks) but shorter:
(setq auth-sources '((:source "~/.authinfo.gpg")))
@end lisp

This says ``for any host and any protocol, use just that one file.''
Sweet simplicity.  In fact, the latter is already the default, so
unless you want to move your netrc file, it will just work if you have
that file.  Make sure it exists.

By adding multiple entries to @code{auth-sources} with a particular
host or protocol, you can have specific netrc files for that host or
protocol.  Usually this is unnecessary but may make sense if you have
shared netrc files or some other unusual setup (90% of Emacs users
have unusual setups and the remaining 10% are @emph{really} unusual).

Here's an example that uses the Secret Service API for all lookups,
using the default collection:

@lisp
(setq auth-sources '((:source (:secrets default))))
@end lisp

And here's a mixed example, using two sources:

@lisp
(setq auth-sources '((:source (:secrets default) :host "myserver" :user "joe")
                     (:source "~/.authinfo.gpg")))
@end lisp

The best match is determined by order (starts from the bottom) only
for the first pass, where things are checked exactly.  In the example
above, the first pass would find a single match for host
@code{myserver}.  The netrc choice would fail because it matches any
host and protocol implicitly (as a @emph{fallback}).  A specified
value of @code{:host t} in @code{auth-sources} is considered a match
on the first pass, unlike a missing @code{:host}.

Now if you look for host @code{missing}, it won't match either source
explicitly.  The second pass (the @emph{fallback} pass) will look at
all the implicit matches and collect them.  They will be scored and
returned sorted by score.  The score is based on the number of
explicit parameters that matched. See the @code{auth-pick} function
for details.

@end defvar

If you don't customize @code{auth-sources}, you'll have to live with
the defaults: any host and any port are looked up in the netrc
file @code{~/.authinfo.gpg}.  This is an encrypted file if and only if

Note that the port denotes the Tramp connection method.  When you
don't use a port entry, you match any Tramp method, as explained
earlier.  Since Tramp has about 88 connection methods, this may be
necessary if you have an unusual (see earlier comment on those) setup.

@node Secret Service API
@chapter Secret Service API

TODO: how does it work generally, how does secrets.el work, some examples.

@node Help for developers
@chapter Help for developers

The auth-source library only has one function for external use.

@defun auth-source-user-or-password mode host port &optional username

Retrieve appropriate authentication tokens, determined by @var{mode},
for host @var{host} and @var{port}.  If @var{username} is provided it
will also be checked.  If @code{auth-source-debug} is t, debugging
messages will be printed.  Set @code{auth-source-debug} to a function
to use that function for logging.  The parameters passed will be the
same that the @code{message} function takes, that is, a string
formatting spec and optional parameters.

If @var{mode} is a list of strings, the function will return a list of
strings or @code{nil} objects (thus you can avoid parsing the netrc
file or checking the Secret Service API more than once).  If it's a
string, the function will return a string or a @code{nil} object.
Currently only the modes ``login'' and ``password'' are recognized but
more may be added in the future.

@var{host} is a string containing the host name.

@var{port} contains the protocol name (e.g. ``imap'') or
a port number.  It must be a string, corresponding to the port in the
users' netrc files.

@var{username} contains the user name (e.g. ``joe'') as a string.

@example
;; IMAP example
(setq auth (auth-source-user-or-password
            '("login" "password")