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Login and Logout services

Login services

GeoNetwork standard login (xml.user.login)

The xml.user.login service is used to authenticate the user in GeoNetwork. Authenticated users can use XML services that require authentication such as those used to maintain group or user information.

Request

Parameters:

  • username (mandatory): Login for the user to authenticate
  • password (mandatory): Password for the user to authenticate

Login request example:

Url:
http://localhost:8080/geonetwork/srv/en/xml.user.login

Mime-type:
application/xml

Post request:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<request>
    <username>admin</username>
    <password>admin</password>
</request>

Response

When user authentication is successful HTTP status code 200 is returned along with an XML response as follows:

<ok/>

If the response headers are examined, they will look something like the following::

Expires: Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT
Set-Cookie: JSESSIONID=1xh3kpownhmjh;Path=/geonetwork
Content-Type: application/xml; charset=UTF-8
Pragma: no-cache
Cache-Control: no-cache
Transfer-Encoding: chunked

The authentication process sets the JSESSIONID cookie with the authentication token. This token should be sent as part of the request to all services that need authentication.

If the execution of the login request is not successful then an HTTP 500 status code error is returned along with an XML document that describes the exception/what went wrong. An example of such a response is::

<error id="user-login">
  <message>User login failed</message>
  <class>UserLoginEx</class>
  <stack>
    <at class="org.fao.geonet.services.login.Login" file="Login.java" line="90" method="exec" />
    <at class="jeeves.server.dispatchers.ServiceInfo" file="ServiceInfo.java" line="238" method="execService" />
    <at class="jeeves.server.dispatchers.ServiceInfo" file="ServiceInfo.java" line="141" method="execServices" />
    <at class="jeeves.server.dispatchers.ServiceManager" file="ServiceManager.java" line="377" method="dispatch" />
    <at class="jeeves.server.JeevesEngine" file="JeevesEngine.java" line="621" method="dispatch" />
    <at class="jeeves.server.sources.http.JeevesServlet" file="JeevesServlet.java" line="174" method="execute" />
    <at class="jeeves.server.sources.http.JeevesServlet" file="JeevesServlet.java" line="99" method="doPost" />
    <at class="javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet" file="HttpServlet.java" line="727" method="service" />
    <at class="javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet" file="HttpServlet.java" line="820" method="service" />
    <at class="org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.ServletHolder" file="ServletHolder.java" line="502" method="handle" />
  </stack>
  <object>admin2</object>
  <request>
    <language>en</language>
    <service>user.login</service>
  </request>
</error>

See Exception handling for more details.

Errors

  • Missing parameter (error id: missing-parameter), when mandatory parameters are not send. Returns 500 HTTP code
  • bad-parameter XXXX, when an empty username or password is provided. Returns 500 HTTP code
  • User login failed (error id: user-login), when login information is not valid. Returns 500 HTTP code

Logout service

Logout (xml.user.logout)

The xml.user.logout service clears the user authentication session, removing the JSESSIONID cookie.

Request

Parameters:

  • None:This request requires no parameters however the JSESSIONID token obtained from xml.user.login should be included as this is the session that will be cleared..

Logout request example:

Url:
http://localhost:8080/geonetwork/srv/en/xml.user.logout

Mime-type:
application/xml

Post request:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<request/>

Response

Logout response example:

<ok />