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You can track the status of your feedback using the ticket number displayed in the dialog once you submit the form. </p> </div> </div> </div> <main class="article" data-ceiling="topbar"> <div class="article-header"> <nav class="crumbs" aria-label="breadcrumbs"> <ul> <li class="crumb"><a href="../../introduction/intro.html">Couchbase Server</a></li> <li class="crumb">Learn</li> <li class="crumb"><a href="security-overview.html">Security</a></li> <li class="crumb"><a href="authentication.html">Authentication</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> <article class="doc"> <div class="page-heading-title"> <h1 class="page">Authentication</h1> <div class="labels"> <ul></ul> </div> </div> <div class="contributor-list-box"> <span class="last-commit-date" id="commitdate"> </span> <ul id="contributorList"></ul> <span id="otherContributor"> + </span> </div><div class="paragraph"> <p>To access Couchbase Server, users must be authenticated. <em>Authentication</em> is a process for identifying who is attempting to access a system. Subsequent to successful authentication, <em>authorization</em> can be performed, whereby the user’s appropriate access-level is determined.</p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>Authentication can be performed by means of a <em>username</em> and <em>password</em>, assigned to each administrator or application. Authentication can also be performed by means of <em>X.509 Certificates</em>: these support <em>Transport Layer Security</em>, by establishing the identity of a client or server through <em>digital signatures</em>. They also provide keys to support <em>on-the-wire</em> encryption, according to the conventions of <em>Public Key Infrastructure</em> (PKI).</p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>Couchbase Server assigns each user to one of two <em>authentication domains</em>: the <em>local</em> domain consisting of users whose credentials are maintained by Couchbase Server itself; the <em>external</em> domain consisting of users whose credentials are maintained remotely — for example, on an <em>LDAP</em> server or a <em>SAML IdP</em>.</p> </div> <div class="paragraph"> <p>For detailed information on these topics, see:</p> </div> <div class="ulist"> <ul> <li> <p><a href="authentication-overview.html" class="xref page">Understanding Authentication</a>, which provides an overview of all the key aspects of Couchbase authentication.</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="usernames-and-passwords.html" class="xref page">Usernames and Passwords</a>, which lists the conventions whereby usernames and passwords can be designed and passed by administrators and applications.</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="authentication-domains.html" class="xref page">Authentication Domains</a>, which contains full explanations of the <em>local</em> and <em>external</em> authentication domains supported by Couchbase Server.</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="certificates.html" class="xref page">Certificates</a>, which provides a detailed overview of how certificates are supported by Couchbase Server, for the authentication of clusters, nodes, and client applications.</p> </li> </ul> </div> </article> </main> </div> <footer class="footer"> <div class="container"> <div class="footer-links"> <div class="col"> <div class="footer-logo"> <a href="https://www.couchbase.com" class="icon"> <img src="../../../../_/img/couchbase-logo.svg" alt="Couchbase"> </a> </div> </div> <div class="col"> <ul> <li><a href="https://docs.couchbase.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Documentation</a></li> <li><a href="https://forums.couchbase.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forums</a></li> <li><a href="https://support.couchbase.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Support</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="col"> <ul> <li><a href="https://developer.couchbase.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Developer Portal</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.couchbase.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blog</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.couchbase.com/resources">Resources</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="col"> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.couchbase.com/get-started-developing-nosql">Get Started</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.couchbase.com/downloads">Downloads</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.couchbase.com/store?utf8=%E2%9C%93&ss=1&ct=78327&commit=Filter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Training</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="col"> <ul class="social-icons"> <li> <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 32.1 26.1"> <path id="twitter" class="cls-1" d="M32,7.1a11.836,11.836,0,0,1-3.8,1,6.462,6.462,0,0,0,2.9-3.6,12.606,12.606,0,0,1-4.2,1.6A6.492,6.492,0,0,0,22.1,4a6.594,6.594,0,0,0-6.6,6.6,7.719,7.719,0,0,0,.2,1.5A18.458,18.458,0,0,1,2.2,5.2a6.294,6.294,0,0,0-.9,3.3A6.765,6.765,0,0,0,4.2,14a6.109,6.109,0,0,1-3-.8v.1a6.543,6.543,0,0,0,5.3,6.4,4.678,4.678,0,0,1-1.7.2,4.869,4.869,0,0,1-1.2-.1,6.679,6.679,0,0,0,6.1,4.6,12.917,12.917,0,0,1-8.2,2.8,9.151,9.151,0,0,1-1.6-.1,18.438,18.438,0,0,0,10.1,3c12.1,0,18.7-10,18.7-18.7v-.8A13.336,13.336,0,0,0,32,7.2Z" transform="translate(0.1 -4)"/></svg> <a href="https://twitter.com/couchbase" class="icon"> Twitter </a> </li> <li> <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 32 32"> <path id="linkedin" class="cls-1" d="M29,0H3A3.076,3.076,0,0,0,0,3V29a3.009,3.009,0,0,0,3,3H29a2.946,2.946,0,0,0,3-3V3A3.009,3.009,0,0,0,29,0ZM12,26H8V12h4ZM10,10a2,2,0,1,1,2-2A2.006,2.006,0,0,1,10,10ZM26,26H22V18a2,2,0,0,0-4,0v8H14V12h4v2.5c.8-1.1,2.1-2.5,3.5-2.5A4.736,4.736,0,0,1,26,17Z"/></svg> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/couchbase" class="icon"> Linkedin </a> </li> <li> <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 32 32"> <path id="facebook" class="cls-1" d="M29,0H3A2.652,2.652,0,0,0,0,3V29a2.652,2.652,0,0,0,3,3H16V18H12V14h4V12a6.452,6.452,0,0,1,6-6h4v4H22a2.151,2.151,0,0,0-2,2v2h6l-1,4H20V32h9a2.652,2.652,0,0,0,3-3V3A2.652,2.652,0,0,0,29,0Z"/></svg> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Couchbase" class="icon"> Facebook </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="footer-terms"> <div class="footer-terms-copyright"> <span>漏 2025 Couchbase and the Couchbase logo are registered trademarks of Couchbase, Inc. 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