Web applications oftain contain both public and private resources. It is necessary to ensure that those key areas that are restricted to the public remain off limits to even the craftiest of users. This is a common problem and there are many different solutions. In this article, I will show how a Servlet Filter can serve as a simple, unobtrusive agent that will help to safeguard data when developing J2EE web applications.
A Few Options
When discussing the topic of security, there are two main categories to consider. Authentication refers to verifying a certain user is in fact who they say they are. Authentication is handled typically via a username and password login. For most sites, a login page utilizes SSL (Secure Socket Layer) over HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). Once authentication is complete, you need to perform authorization. Authorization is concerned with ensuring that what a user accesses conforms to their permission set. In other words, they should only see what they are authorized to see.
Along with many third-party tools, J2EE provides some built-in support for security. In the deployment descriptor of an application (web.xml), for example, you can declaratively configure an application for authentication and authorization (see options available under the element). For in-depth information on how to use these features, consult the Java Servlet specification. One potential problem with this approach is that implementing some of these features also requires actions specific to a Servlet container, making them not entirely portable. Another option for security is the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS). JAAS consists of APIs to authenticate and authorize in a pluggable, platform-neutral fashion. JAAS is a bit newer and its use is not as widespread as those previously mentioned.
Of course, coding a solution yourself is always an option too. This is not always desirable, depending on the complexity of the problem you are dealing with. However, if your application has rather unique or complex security requirements, you will probably require a custom solution. Below, I will demonstrate how Java Servlet Filters can help craft a solution that works across Servlet containers.
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