Skip to content

auth.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
161 lines (114 loc) · 4.5 KB

auth.md

File metadata and controls

161 lines (114 loc) · 4.5 KB
Raw

Authentication & Authorization

A mongreldb-server daemon runs in one of three modes:

  1. Open (default) - no auth required.
  2. Bearer token (--auth-token <TOKEN>) - every request must carry an Authorization: Bearer <TOKEN> header.
  3. HTTP Basic (--auth-users) - every request must carry an Authorization: Basic <base64(user:pass)> header.

The Clojure client supports all three through connect options. This guide shows each mode and how to manage users and roles via SQL when the server is in Basic mode.

Bearer token mode

Start the daemon with a token:

mongreldb-server --auth-token s3cret-token

Connect with :token. The token is sent as Authorization: Bearer ... on every request.

(def db (mdb/connect {:url "http://127.0.0.1:8453" :token "s3cret-token"}))

(try
  (let [ok (mdb/health db)]
    (println "healthy:" ok))
  (catch dev.visorcraft.mongreldb.AuthException _
    (println "bad or missing token")
    (System/exit 1)))

A missing or wrong token surfaces as AuthException (HTTP 401/403).

Where the token comes from

Hard-coding secrets in source is bad practice. Read it from the environment:

(let [token (System/getenv "MONGRELDB_TOKEN")]
  (when (or (nil? token) (empty? token))
    (println "MONGRELDB_TOKEN not set")
    (System/exit 1))
  (def db (mdb/connect {:token token})))

Basic auth mode

Start the daemon with a users file or inline users:

mongreldb-server --auth-users

Connect with :username / :password:

(def db (mdb/connect {:url      "http://127.0.0.1:8453"
                      :username "admin"
                      :password "s3cret"}))

The client base64-encodes username:password and sets Authorization: Basic ... on every request.

Token takes precedence

If you supply both, :token wins and Basic credentials are ignored. This lets you layer an override without branching:

(def db (mdb/connect {:url      url
                      :username "fallback"
                      :password "user"
                      :token    "overrides-everything"}))

Verifying what gets sent

The auth header is applied in the private apply-auth helper, called from every request. For debugging, point the client at a local echo server or watch the daemon logs. A quick check with a tiny socket server is the fastest way to inspect the Authorization header without a real daemon.

User and role management via SQL

When the daemon is in Basic auth mode, users and roles live in the catalog and are managed with SQL. Run these statements through mdb/sql.

Create a user

(mdb/sql db "CREATE USER alice WITH PASSWORD 'hunter2'")

Alter a user

Change a password:

(mdb/sql db "ALTER USER alice WITH PASSWORD 'new-password'")

Grant the admin role:

(mdb/sql db "ALTER USER alice ADMIN")

ALTER USER ... ADMIN is how you promote a user to full administrative privileges (table creation/drop, compaction, user management). Use it sparingly.

Drop a user

(mdb/sql db "DROP USER alice")

Roles and grants

(mdb/sql db "CREATE ROLE analyst")
(mdb/sql db "GRANT SELECT ON orders TO analyst")
(mdb/sql db "GRANT analyst TO alice")
(mdb/sql db "REVOKE SELECT ON orders FROM analyst")
(mdb/sql db "DROP ROLE analyst")

Exact grant syntax mirrors the server's SQL flavor; consult the server's SQL reference for the full GRANT/REVOKE grammar available in your build.

Common pitfalls

Auth errors look like other errors without a specific catch. A 401/403 throws AuthException; a 404 throws NotFoundException. Always discriminate by class rather than string-matching (.getMessage e).

Forgetting to set auth in production. A client built with (mdb/connect) and no credentials sends no credentials. Against an auth-enabled daemon, every call throws AuthException. Centralize client construction so the auth option is never accidentally dropped.

Sharing one client across threads is fine; sharing credentials across users is not. A client map is safe for concurrent use, but it carries one identity. If you serve multiple authenticated users, build a client per user (or per request) with that user's token.

Token in version control. Put secrets in the environment, a secret manager, or a file outside the repo. Never commit a real token.

Next steps

  • errors.md - AuthException and the rest of the error hierarchy
  • quickstart.md - the full end-to-end walkthrough