What is Forms Authentication in ASP.NET and how does it work?

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ICSM Computer · Answer

Forms Authentication in ASP.NET is a way to authenticate users by having them log in through a web form. Instead of using Windows authentication, users enter their credentials on a login page. When they successfully log in, ASP.NET issues an authentication ticket, usually stored in a cookie, which identifies the user on subsequent requests.
How Forms Authentication Works:
The user tries to access a page or resource that requires authentication.If the user is not authenticated, ASP.NET automatically redirects them to a configured login page.The user submits their username and password on the login page.The application validates the credentials (often by checking a database).If validation succeeds, ASP.NET creates an authentication ticket and places it in a cookie sent to the user's browser.For all future requests, the browser sends this cookie back to the server, and ASP.NET uses it to identify and authenticate the user.
Configuration example in web.config:
andlt;authentication mode="Forms"andgt;
  andlt;forms loginUrl="~/Login.aspx" timeout="30" /andgt;
andlt;/authenticationandgt;
andlt;authorizationandgt;
  andlt;deny users="?" /andgt;
andlt;/authorizationandgt;
The loginUrl specifies the page where users enter their credentials.The andlt;deny users="?"andgt; means anonymous users (not logged in) are denied access to the protected resources.
Creating the authentication ticket in code:
if (Membership.ValidateUser(username, password))
{
    FormsAuthentication.SetAuthCookie(username, false);  // false = not persistent
    Response.Redirect(FormsAuthentication.GetRedirectUrl(username, false));
}
else
{
    // Handle invalid login
}
Logging out:
FormsAuthentication.SignOut();
Response.Redirect("~/Login.aspx");
Summary
Users log in through a form.A cookie holds an encrypted ticket identifying the user.ASP.NET uses this ticket to authenticate requests.Works well for web apps requiring simple login functionality.

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What is Forms Authentication in ASP.NET and how does it work?

ICSM Computer

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1 Answers

How Forms Authentication Works:

Configuration example in `web.config`:

Creating the authentication ticket in code:

Logging out:

Summary

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