This page is for data modellers who need to provide securely-stored credentials to access data via HTTP by providing authentication.

Overview

When importing data via HTTP, you sometimes need to provide authentication to an external site. You can do this by storing There are 2 parts to this:

1. To store the username and password, use one of the following methods:
   • as plain text the HTTP datasource instance. This is not secure. See Using an HTTP Datasource Instance, below.
     

1. • This option is not secure.
   • encrypted as a PhixFlow local secret

1. • ; see Using the PhixFlow Secret Key, below 
   • encrypted in a keystore; see Using the Keystore, below.
     This option is the most secure, but requires administrator access to the keystore.
2. To use the username and password
   1. In an analysis models, connect the HTTP datasource to a HTTP modelling object:
   2. In the expression within the modelling object, reference the username, password. Expression fields are: 
      • HTTP collectors and HTTP exporters → URL Expression or Statement Expression 
      • HTTP Headers Properties → Basic Settings → Value.

Using an HTTP Datasource Instance 

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Step 1

Store

:

1. Open a HTTP datasource properties
2. in the HTTP Datasource Instances section add a new instance
3. In the instance, enter the details for the Name, Username and Password properties.
4. Tick Enabled.
5. Save the properties.

Step 2: Use

:

In an analysis models, the HTTP datasource must have a HTTP collector or HTTP exporter connected to it. Expressions within the HTTP collector and exporter can use the following variables to reference the username and password.To use a username or password in an expression, specify the following variables:

Store Authentication Encrypted in PhixFlow

When you run analysis, PhixFlow looks in the associated HTTP datasource instance for the value set in the Username and Password properties and uses them to authenticate to the external site.

Using the PhixFlow Secret Key 

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secret secret

Step 1 Store:

To store a username and password encrypted in PhixFlow, configure a key/value pair using the secret key. 

1. In a HTTP Datasource datasource properties → Secret Key Details section, click 

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    to create a new secret key. PhixFlow opens the secet key properties.
2. Enter a Name and click

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   _save _save nopanel true

   .
3. PhixFlow automatically creates a key for this secret. The key is a combination of the name and a string that is the internal ID of the HTTP datasource.
4. In the Secret field, click

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    to create a new Local Secret itemthe associated value. PhixFlow opens the new local secret properties.
5. In the local secret → Secret field, add the value, which PhixFlow stores encrypted.

You can use the secret key name to refer to the encrypted value in:

• HTTP collectors and exporters → URL Expression or Statement Expression fields in
• HTTP Headers Properties → Basic Settings → Value.

2.   Click 

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    to save and close the local secret.
3. PhixFlow adds a string of asterisks *** to the Secret field to show you have configured the value.
4. Click 

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    to save and close the secret key.

For details of the properties of a secret key, see Secret Key and Local Secret.

Step 2: Use:

In an expression, specify 2 keys, one for the username and one for the password, using
    ${_datasource.key}  where key is the Name of the secret key.                                                                                                                                                          

When you run analysis, PhixFlow uses the secret key Name to find the key, which finds the encrypted secret. It then looks in the associated HTTP datasource for the specified key and provides the de-encrypted value to authenticate to the external site.

Using the Keystore 

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If you have configured a Java keystore Configure a Keystore and Aliases and Adding Data to a Keystore you can use this to store secure credentials instead of using a Local Secret. 

Step 1 Create the key:

To create a key /value pair, in an HTTP datasource properties → for the username or password: 

1. In a HTTP datasource properties → Secret Key Details

1.  section, click 

   Insert excerpt
   _add _add nopanel true

    to create a new secret key.

Basic Settings

1. PhixFlow opens the secet key properties.
2. Enter a Name and click

   Insert excerpt
   _save _save nopanel true

1. .

1. PhixFlow automatically

1. creates a

1. key

1. for this

1. secret. The key is a combination of the name and a string that is the internal ID of the HTTP datasource.
2. Copy the key to use in the keystore.
3. Click 

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   _

1. finish _

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    to

When you save the local secret, PhixFlow displays asterisks here to show that the secret value has been encrypted.

If you don't define a secret, PhixFlow will look for secret in its own secret service or in the keystore.

1. save and close the secret key.

For details of the properties of a secret key, see Secret Key and Local Secret.

Step 2: Store:

In the keystore, use the copied key and the username/password values to store key-value pairs; see Adding Data to a Keystore. Insert excerpt_description_descriptionnopaneltrue

PhixFlow encrypts the value when storing it in the database, but when it is required to authenticate to an external site, PhixFlow supplies the unencrypted string. 

The name is what you refer to in an expression. Internally tables

You can have key without a secret

GUI presents it as a name a flag and a secret.

in the properties Name - key, secret

Store Authentication Encrypted in the Keystore

todo-fiona

Define a local key secret and enter keynames

Internal IDs

If you dont put in a local secret

it will look in the keystore

If you have configured a Java keystore Configure a Keystore and Aliases and Adding Data to a Keystore  you can use this to store secure credentials instead of using a Local Secret. 

If you want to you can use a keystore.

32 digits.password key

32 digits = datasource

Datasource and HTTP Datasource modelling objects have properties → Advanced → Internal ID.

This is a read-only field that provides the database identifier for the datasource. 

You can supply a key-value pair to the keystore. However, the username and password key or value requires the datasource ID.

EG. Datasource needs a username XYZ and password ABC 

Key datasource1-username - internalIDXYZ

Key datasource1-pw - internalIABC

Why its there is to help with debugging complex issues as requested by support...

Datasource 

Step 3: Use:

In an expression, specify 2 keys, one for the username and one for the password, using
    ${_datasource.key}  where key is the Name of the secret key.                                                                                            

When you run analysis, PhixFlow looks for the specified key:

• first in the associated HTTP datasource
• then in the keystore.

PhixFlow provides the de-encrypted value to authenticate to the external site.