Handling HTTP authentication

If you're connecting to a server that requires authentication, you
might want to take a look at this flowchart that shows how ASIHTTPRequest finds
and applies credentials to requests.

Specifying a username and password to use in the URL

NSURL *url = [NSURL URLWithString:@"http://username:password@allseeing-i.com/top_secret/"];

ASIHTTPRequest *request = [ASIHTTPRequest requestWithURL:url];

Setting a username and password to use on the request

NSURL *url = [NSURL URLWithString:@"http://allseeing-i.com/top_secret/"];

ASIHTTPRequest *request = [ASIHTTPRequest requestWithURL:url];

[request
setUsername:@"username"];

[request
setPassword:@"password"];

Storing credentials in the keychain

If you turn
on keychainPersistence, any valid username and password supplied will be
stored in the keychain. Subsequent requests will reuse the username and password
from the keychain, even if you quit and relaunch the application.

NSURL *url = [NSURL URLWithString:@"http://allseeing-i.com/top_secret/"];

ASIHTTPRequest *request = [ASIHTTPRequest requestWithURL:url];

[request
setUseKeychainPersistence:YES];

[request
setUsername:@"username"];

[request
setPassword:@"password"];

If you want to use
the keychain but would rather manage it yourself, you might find the class
methods relating to the keychain in ASIHTTPRequest.h helpful.

Storing credentials in the session

If useSessionPersistence is turned on (it is by default),
ASIHTTPRequest stores credentials in memory and can re-use them for subsequent
requests.

NSURL *url = [NSURL URLWithString:@"http://allseeing-i.com/top_secret/"];

ASIHTTPRequest *request = [ASIHTTPRequest requestWithURL:url];

[request
setUsername:@"username"];

[request
setPassword:@"password"];

[request
setUseSessionPersistence:YES]; //Shouldn't be needed as this is the default

//Should reuse our username and password

request = [ASIHTTPRequest requestWithURL:url];

NTLM authentication

To authenticate with
a Windows server that uses the NTLM scheme, you also need to specify the domain
you are authenticating against.

NSURL *url = [NSURL URLWithString:@"http://my.windows.server/top_secret/"];

ASIHTTPRequest *request = [ASIHTTPRequest requestWithURL:url];

[request
setUsername:@"username"];

[request
setPassword:@"password"];

[request
setDomain:@"my-domain"];