Base64 Encoding Basic Authentication Header Apache HTTP Client

Question

Two related questions, I'm using Apache HTTP Client 4.x API. myHttpPost is an instance of HttpPost and myHttpClient is an instance of HttpClient. I'm trying to send a request using basic authentication. So I have a HttpClient and create a HttpPost.

The 'brute force' way of setting a basic authentication header seems to be to set it in the HttpPost header.

String encoding = Base64Encoder.encode("username" + ":" + "password");
myHttpPost.setHeader("Authorization", "Basic " + encoding);

The example above came from another stack overflow question (can't find link to it now). In relation to the Base64Encoder class - which package would I find it in or where would I download it from?

Main question - I was hoping to do basic authentication in a more aesthetic manner using the code below:

myHttpClient.getCredentialsProvider().setCredentials(
    new AuthScope(AuthScope.ANY_HOST, AuthScope.ANY_PORT, AuthScope.ANY_REALM, AuthPolicy.BASIC),
    new UsernamePasswordCredentials("username", "password")
);

But this doesn't seem to work. So is the first example above the right way to do basic authentication with Apache HTTP Client 4.0? Or is there a cleaner/simpler way.

Answer 1

In relation to the Base64Encoder class - which package would I find it in or where would I download it from?

Base64Encoder can come from various places, I couldn't find something that matches with your static encode method.

As for Credentials, you need to set scheme to Basic on your AuthScope, like so:

myHttpClient.getCredentialsProvider().setCredentials(
    new AuthScope(AuthScope.ANY_HOST, AuthScope.ANY_PORT, AuthScope.ANY_REALM, "basic"),
    new UsernamePasswordCredentials("username", "password")
);

or

myHttpClient.getCredentialsProvider().setCredentials(
    new AuthScope(AuthScope.ANY_HOST, AuthScope.ANY_PORT, AuthScope.ANY_REALM, AuthPolicy.BASIC),
    new UsernamePasswordCredentials("username", "password")
);