Whether you are a private owner of a website or whether you're making a website for someone else, authentication of the users on your website is incredibly important to your eCommerce. Your website's levels of security and access determine what people can see, what they can affect, and whether or not you have the power to get rid of them. When you set up a website for someone else, it's vitally important that they understand the different levels of authentication on a website. Most customers can browse sites as one of three modes: guest, user and administrator. A guest can see some pages, users can interact with them and administrators have the power to change the website as they see fit. Of course, your website may have four levels, or twenty levels. The most important thing is making sure that the people you allow into those levels are the ones that are supposed to be there.
HTTP Encoding
Most new web designers, or those who are setting up websites for other people who don't pay much, use HTTP encoding. This means that usernames and passwords are authenticated using Base64, the most basic of authentication methods. This type of web authentication is great for those just starting out who don't feel they need to worry about their information being intercepted. It's not so good for people who consider their member information to be sacrosanct.
HTTP Digest Authentication
HTTP Digest Authentication is just as simple as basic HTTP encoding. However, the difference is that Digest is far more secure. The reason for that is simple; no one, not even the administrator of the website, has the ability to see the passwords and usernames that people use to log in. This is a very good model for a kind of web authentication that customers can use on a website where they feel unsecure. It's not so good for those designing a website where the administrator needs full control.
HTTPS Client
If your website deals in a great deal of eCommerce, you are going to want to use HTTPS Client Authentication for your web authentication. This is the most secure kind of authentication available, and is used by high-profile companies that do most of their business over the Internet. It combines HTTP with Secure Socket Layers, which makes everything a more secure, streamlined process when using it to log into a website on the Internet.
HTTP Encoding
Most new web designers, or those who are setting up websites for other people who don't pay much, use HTTP encoding. This means that usernames and passwords are authenticated using Base64, the most basic of authentication methods. This type of web authentication is great for those just starting out who don't feel they need to worry about their information being intercepted. It's not so good for people who consider their member information to be sacrosanct.
HTTP Digest Authentication
HTTP Digest Authentication is just as simple as basic HTTP encoding. However, the difference is that Digest is far more secure. The reason for that is simple; no one, not even the administrator of the website, has the ability to see the passwords and usernames that people use to log in. This is a very good model for a kind of web authentication that customers can use on a website where they feel unsecure. It's not so good for those designing a website where the administrator needs full control.
HTTPS Client
If your website deals in a great deal of eCommerce, you are going to want to use HTTPS Client Authentication for your web authentication. This is the most secure kind of authentication available, and is used by high-profile companies that do most of their business over the Internet. It combines HTTP with Secure Socket Layers, which makes everything a more secure, streamlined process when using it to log into a website on the Internet.
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