[COUCHDB-1452] Can't POST /_session with require_valid_user=true (Cookie authentication)

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Won't Fix
• Affects Version/s: 1.1.1

Environment

Fedora 16

[root@CouchDBTest ~]# uname -a
Linux CouchDBTest 3.3.0-8.fc16.x86_64 #1 SMP Thu Mar 29 18:37:19 UTC 2012 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

• Skill Level: Dont Know
• Assignee: Alexander Shorin
• Reporter: Seb
• Created: 01/Apr/12 13:05
• Updated: 02/May/23 17:31
• Resolved: 02/Sep/18 06:39

Description

Hello

I'm playing with couchdb and having a small problem with authentication (I would like to be cookie+https only)

With require_valid_user, every action must be authenticated.

Then we need to authenticate to couchdb in order to POST to /_session.

So, if you disable classical HTTP auth, you can't authenticate users on couchdb only with cookie.

[root@CouchDBTest ~]# curl -vX POST http://localhost:5984/_session -H 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' -d 'name=admin&password=this_is_a_test'

• About to connect() to localhost port 5984 (#0)
• Trying ::1... Connection refused
• Trying 127.0.0.1... connected
• Connected to localhost (127.0.0.1) port 5984 (#0)
  > POST /_session HTTP/1.1
  > User-Agent: curl/7.21.7 (x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu) libcurl/7.21.7 NSS/3.13.3.0 zlib/1.2.5 libidn/1.22 libssh2/1.2.7
  > Host: localhost:5984
  > Accept: /
  > Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
  > Content-Length: 34
  >
  < HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
  < WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="administrator"
  < Server: CouchDB/1.1.1 (Erlang OTP/R14B04)
  < Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:58:13 GMT
  < Content-Type: text/plain;charset=utf-8
  < Content-Length: 61
  < Cache-Control: must-revalidate
  < {"error":"unauthorized","reason":"Authentication required."}
• Connection #0 to host localhost left intact
• Closing connection #0

The workaround to obtain a cookie with require_valid_user=true is to authenticate with classical HTTP auth then to auth again with a POST on _session.

Not POST /_session should be allowed even for require_valid_user=true ?

Thank in advance