:mod:`repoze.who` Narrative Documentation
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=========================================
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Using :mod:`repoze.who` as WSGI Middleware
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------------------------------------------
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:mod:`repoze.who` was originally developed for use as authentication
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middleware in a WSGI pipeline, for use by applications which only
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needed to obtain an "authenticated user" to enforce a given security
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policy.
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See :ref:`middleware_responsibilities` for a description of this use case.
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Using :mod:`repoze.who` without WSGI Middleware
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-----------------------------------------------
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Some applications might want to use a configured set of
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:mod:`repoze.who` plugins to do identification and authentication for
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a request, outside the context of using :mod:`repoze.who` middleware.
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For example, a performance-sensitive application might wish to defer
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the effort of identifying and authenticating a user until the point at
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which authorization is required, knowing that some code paths will not
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need to do the work.
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See :ref:`api_narrative` for a description of this use case.
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Mixing Middleware and API Uses
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------------------------------
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Some applications might use the :mod:`repoze.who` middleware for most
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authentication purposes, but need to participate more directly in the
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mechanics of identification and authorization for some portions of the
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application. For example, consider a system which allows users to
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sign up online for membership in a site: once the user completes
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registration, such an application might wish to log the user in
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transparently, and thus needs to interact with the configured
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:mod:`repoze.who` middleware to generate response headers, ensuring
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that the user's next request is properly authenticated.
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See :ref:`middleware_api_hybrid` for a description of this use case.
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Configuring :mod:`repoze.who`
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-----------------------------
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Developers and integrators can configure :mod:`repoze.who` using either
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imperative Python code (see :ref:`imperative_configuration`) or using an
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INI-style declarative configuration file (see :ref:`declarative_configuration`).
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In either case, the result of the configuration will be a
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:class:`repoze.who.api:APIFactory` instance, complete with a request
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classifier, a challenge decider, and a set of plugins for each plugin
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interface.
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