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Authentication mechanisms

After we have the system up and running, the next step in setting up security is to select an authentication mechanism. An authentication mechanism defines rules about security information (for example, whether a credential is forwardable to another Java process) and the format of how security information is stored in both credentials and tokens. Authentication is the process of establishing whether a client is valid in a particular context. A client can be either an end user, a machine, or an application.

An authentication mechanism in WAS typically collaborates closely with a user registry. The user registry is the user and groups accounts repository that the authentication mechanism consults with when performing authentication. The authentication mechanism is responsible for creating a credential which is an internal product representation of successfully authenticated client user. Not all credentials are created equal. The abilities of the credential are determined by the configured authentication mechanism.

Although this product provides several authentication mechanisms, only a single active authentication mechanism can be configured at once. The active authentication mechanism is selected when configuring WebSphere Application Server administrative security. WebSphere Application Server supports the following authentication mechanisms:


Related concepts

  • LTPA>


    Related tasks

  • Select a registry or repository