---
name: "wnauth"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "wn"
version: "2.2.9-2"
release: "Debian 3.0 (Woody)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/wnauth"
---

# wnauth(3)

CGI program for Basic authorization for wn HTTP server

## NAME

wnauth - CGI program for Basic authorization for wn HTTP server

## SYNOPSIS

**wnauth** \[**-D**\] \[**-g** *group\_name* **-G** *group\_file*\] (\[**-P** *password\_file*\]\| *password\_file*)

## DESCRIPTION

**wnauth** is a **C** CGI program that is part of the [**wn**(1)](/wn/1.md) HTTP server package.  It is used for authenticating a user through "Basic" authentication described in the HTTP protocol.  It is used in conjunction with the [**wn\_mkpasswd**(8)](/wn_mkpasswd/8.md) utility to create password files and the *index* files "Authorization" entries (see **http:/doc/wn/access.html**).

## WARNING

I would strongly advise against using basic authentication described here to protect sensitive information on a server which runs on system on which untrusted users have accounts.  The "Basic" authentication protocol sends passwords across the network with no encryption. Specifically, you should not use the host password file */etc/passwd* as the [**wn**(1)](/wn/1.md) password file.

## OPTIONS

- **-D**

  The password file *passwd\_file* uses the UNIX DBM database instead of a flat file format.

- **-g** *group\_name*

  Use the group file specified by the **-G** option and use *group\_name* for authentication.

- **-G** *group\_file*

  Use group authentication instead of the default user authentication. The group file is a file in the format of a UNIX */etc/group* file. That is, it has lines of the form:

  ```
          group_name:*:99:user1,user3,user5
  ```

  where the fields are separated by colons, the first field is a group name, and the fourth field is a comma separated list of user names. **wnauth** will ignore the second and third fields. If the line above is in the file *group\_file* and **wnauth** is invoked as above then a user will be granted access provided the supplied password matches that in the *wnpasswd* file and the user's username is in the list after the second ':' in the line starting with the group name. Thus, in this example users user1, user3, and user5 will be given access if they provide valid passwords and other users will not.

- **-P** *password\_file*

  The password file as created by the [**wn\_mkpasswd**(8)](/wn_mkpasswd/8.md) program.  This option can be used or the argument *passwork\_file* by itself.

## FILES

- *./group\_file*

  Group file for directory.

- *./index*

  Access control file for directory.

- *./index.cache*

  Access control database for directory.

- *./password\_file*

  Password file for directory.

## SEE ALSO

[**wn**(1)](/wn/1.md), [**wn\_mkdigest**(1)](/wn_mkdigest/1.md), [**wn\_uncache**(1)](/wn_uncache/1.md), [**wndex**(1)](/wndex/1.md), [**wnindexmaker**(1)](/wnindexmaker/1.md), [**wnpnuts**(1)](/wnpnuts/1.md), [**wncat**(3)](/wncat/3.md), [**wnhtmlify**(3)](/wnhtmlify/3.md), [**wnredir**(3)](/wnredir/3.md), [**wnsectsearch**(3)](/wnsectsearch/3.md), [**wnseven\_m**(3)](/wnseven_m/3.md), [**wn\_md5passwd**(8)](/wn_md5passwd/8.md), [**wn\_mkpasswd**(8)](/wn_mkpasswd/8.md), [**wnconfig**(8)](/wnconfig/8.md), [**wnd**(8)](/wnd/8.md), [**wnsd**(8)](/wnsd/8.md), [**wnupdatewww**(8)](/wnupdatewww/8.md), [**wnv2c**(8)](/wnv2c/8.md)\
 **http:/doc/wn/access.html**\
 **http:/doc/wn/appendixD.html**\
 **http:/doc/wn/manual.html**\
 **http://hopf.math.nwu.edu/**

## AUTHOR

**wn** is written by John Franks \<john@math.nwu.edu\>.  Modified by Jean Pierre LeJacq \<jplejacq@quoininc.com\> as part of packaging for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. Manual page also added by Jean Pierre LeJacq.

## BUGS

This page isn't complete.