Perusautentikointi

Perusautentikointi, often translated as Basic Authentication, is a simple HTTP authentication scheme. It is implemented by sending the user's credentials, typically a username and password, across the network in plain text, encoded using Base64. This method is defined in RFC 7617.

When a client requests a resource that requires authentication, the server responds with a 401 Unauthorized status code and includes a WWW-Authenticate header. This header specifies the authentication method, which in this case is Basic. The client then re-sends the request with an Authorization header containing the Base64 encoded username and password, separated by a colon.

The primary advantage of Perusautentikointi is its simplicity and ease of implementation. However, its major drawback is the lack of security. Since the credentials are sent in plain text (albeit Base64 encoded, which is easily reversible), they are vulnerable to interception and misuse, especially over unencrypted HTTP connections. For secure communication, it is essential to use Perusautentikointi only over HTTPS, which encrypts the entire communication channel, including the authentication credentials. Despite its security limitations, Perusautentikointi is still commonly used for simple authentication needs in web services and APIs where security is not the primary concern or is handled by other layers.