3.11 library(http/http_openid): OpenID consumer and server library

This library implements the OpenID protocol (http://openid.net/). OpenID is a protocol to share identities on the network. The protocol itself uses simple basic HTTP, adding reliability using digitally signed messages.

Steps, as seen from the consumer (or relying partner).

1. Show login form, asking for openid_identifier
2. Get HTML page from openid_identifier and lookup <link rel="openid.server" href="server">
3. Associate to server
4. Redirect browser (302) to server using mode checkid_setup, asking to validate the given OpenID.
5. OpenID server redirects back, providing digitally signed conformation of the claimed identity.
6. Validate signature and redirect to the target location.

A consumer (an application that allows OpenID login) typically uses this library through openid_user/3. In addition, it must implement the hook http_openid:openid_hook(trusted(OpenId, Server)) to define accepted OpenID servers. Typically, this hook is used to provide a white-list of acceptable servers. Note that accepting any OpenID server is possible, but anyone on the internet can setup a dummy OpenID server that simply grants and signs every request. Here is an example:

:- multifile http_openid:openid_hook/1.

http_openid:openid_hook(trusted(_, OpenIdServer)) :-
    (   trusted_server(OpenIdServer)
    ->  true
    ;   throw(http_reply(moved_temporary('/openid/trustedservers')))
    ).

trusted_server('http://www.myopenid.com/server').

By default, information who is logged on is maintained with the session using http_session_assert/1 with the term openid(Identity). The hooks login/logout/logged_in can be used to provide alternative administration of logged-in users (e.g., based on client-IP, using cookies, etc.).

To create a server, you must do four things: bind the handlers openid_server/2 and openid_grant/1 to HTTP locations, provide a user-page for registered users and define the grant(Request, Options) hook to verify your users. An example server is provided in in <plbase>/doc/packages/examples/demo_openid.pl

[multifile]openid_hook(+Action)

Call hook on the OpenID management library. Defined hooks are:

login(+OpenID)

Consider OpenID logged in.

logout(+OpenID)

Logout OpenID

logged_in(?OpenID)

True if OpenID is logged in

grant(+Request, +Options)

Server: Reply positive on OpenID

trusted(+OpenID, +Server)

True if Server is a trusted OpenID server

ax(Values)

Called if the server provided AX attributes

x_parameter(+Server, -Name, -Value)

Called to find additional HTTP parameters to send with the OpenID verify request.

[det]openid_login(+OpenID)

Associate the current HTTP session with OpenID. If another OpenID is already associated, this association is first removed.

[det]openid_logout(+OpenID)

Remove the association of the current session with any OpenID

[semidet]openid_logged_in(-OpenID)

True if session is associated with OpenID.

[det]openid_user(+Request:http_request, -OpenID:url, +Options)

True if OpenID is a validated OpenID associated with the current session. The scenario for which this predicate is designed is to allow an HTTP handler that requires a valid login to use the transparent code below.

handler(Request) :-
      openid_user(Request, OpenID, []),
      ...

If the user is not yet logged on a sequence of redirects will follow:

1. Show a page for login (default: page /openid/login), predicate reply_openid_login/1)
2. By default, the OpenID login page is a form that is submitted to the verify, which calls openid_verify/2.
3. openid_verify/2 does the following:
   • Find the OpenID claimed identity and server
   • Associate to the OpenID server
   • redirects to the OpenID server for validation

4. The OpenID server will redirect here with the authetication information. This is handled by openid_authenticate/4.

Options:

login_url(Login)

(Local) URL of page to enter OpenID information. Default is the handler for openid_login_page/1

See also

openid_authenticate/4 produces errors if login is invalid or cancelled.

[det]openid_login_form(+ReturnTo, +Options)//

Create the OpenID form. This exported as a separate DCG, allowing applications to redefine /openid/login and reuse this part of the page. Options processed:

action(Action)

URL of action to call. Default is the handler calling openid_verify/1.

buttons(+Buttons)

Buttons is a list of img structures where the href points to an OpenID 2.0 endpoint. These buttons are displayed below the OpenID URL field. Clicking the button sets the URL field and submits the form. Requires Javascript support.

If the href is relative, clicking it opens the given location after adding’openid.return_to' and‘stay'.

show_stay(+Boolean)

If true, show a checkbox that allows the user to stay logged on.

openid_verify(+Options, +Request)

Handle the initial login form presented to the user by the relying party (consumer). This predicate discovers the OpenID server, associates itself with this server and redirects the user's browser to the OpenID server, providing the extra openid.X name-value pairs. Options is, against the conventions, placed in front of the Request to allow for smooth cooperation with http_dispatch.pl. Options processes:

return_to(+URL)

Specifies where the OpenID provider should return to. Normally, that is the current location.

trust_root(+URL)

Specifies the openid.trust_root attribute. Defaults to the root of the current server (i.e., http://host[.port]/).

realm(+URL)

Specifies the openid.realm attribute. Default is the trust_root.

ax(+Spec)

Request the exchange of additional attributes from the identity provider. See http_ax_attributes/2 for details.

The OpenId server will redirect to the openid.return_to URL.

throws

http_reply(moved_temporary(Redirect))

[nondet]openid_server(?OpenIDLogin, ?OpenID, ?Server)

True if OpenIDLogin is the typed id for OpenID verified by Server.

OpenIDLogin	ID as typed by user (canonized)
OpenID	ID as verified by server
Server	URL of the OpenID server

[det]openid_current_url(+Request, -URL)

Find the public URL for Request that we can make available to our identity provider. This must be an absolute URL where we can be contacted. Before trying a configured version through http_public_url/2, we try to see wether the login message contains a referer parameter or wether the browser provided one.

openid_current_host(Request, Host, Port)

Find current location of the server.

deprecated

New code should use http_current_host/4 with the option global(true).

[semidet]openid_authenticate(+Request, -Server:url, -OpenID:url, -ReturnTo:url)

Succeeds if Request comes from the OpenID server and confirms that User is a verified OpenID user. ReturnTo provides the URL to return to.

After openid_verify/2 has redirected the browser to the OpenID server, and the OpenID server did its magic, it redirects the browser back to this address. The work is fairly trivial. If mode is cancel, the OpenId server denied. If id_res, the OpenId server replied positive, but we must verify what the server told us by checking the HMAC-SHA signature.

This call fails silently if their is no openid.mode field in the request.

throws

- openid(cancel) if request was cancelled by the OpenId server
- openid(signature_mismatch) if the HMAC signature check failed

openid_server(+Options, +Request)

Realise the OpenID server. The protocol demands a POST request here.

openid_grant(+Request)

Handle the reply from checkid_setup_server/3. If the reply is yes, check the authority (typically the password) and if all looks good redirect the browser to ReturnTo, adding the OpenID properties needed by the Relying Party to verify the login.

[det]openid_associate(?URL, ?Handle, ?Assoc)

Calls openid_associate/4 as

openid_associate(URL, Handle, Assoc, []).

[det]openid_associate(+URL, -Handle, -Assoc, +Options)

[semidet]openid_associate(?URL, +Handle, -Assoc, +Options)

Associate with an open-id server. We first check for a still valid old association. If there is none or it is expired, we esstablish one and remember it. Options:

ns(URL)

One of http://specs.openid.net/auth/2.0 (default) or http://openid.net/signon/1.1.

To be done

Should we store known associations permanently? Where?