PHP to bypass .htaccess

[gigapixels Veteran]

Hey guys, I've got a question...

I'm currently working on a site for a client that's done in PHP and MySQL. There is a support area that they need that will include files and documentation. Here's the deal:

Their files need to be protected. The support area will have a login prompt so that only customers can get into it. The thing is, I can easily protect the links to the files and documentation, obviously. What I want to do is protect the actual files that will be held in a different directory. They need to be protected with .htaccess so that no links can just be handed out to other people. I need to make it so that if the customer has already logged into the support area through the PHP script, they don't see any htaccess login prompt when they go to download the files.

So, is there any way that I can have PHP bypass the htaccess login?

Please help me ASAP... I need to finish this job up soon.

Thanks everybody!

[Linkinfamous]

I have an idea, no clue if it would work, I'm not that great with any web stuff.

Why not just use a php file that just opens the file in the protected directory, but only if they are authorized. That way, you wouldn't even need to put anyone in the .htaccess file?

[gigapixels Veteran]

The thing is, if you have a directory protected with .htaccess, then any links that send somebody to a file inside that directory will pull up the login prompt.

I don't want to use .htaccess to authenticate people, only to keep them out if they're not already logged in through my PHP script.

So, you're saying exactly what I want to do, but .htaccess will still cause a problem :/

I'm looking for something in PHP that will suppress the .htaccess login window.

[silver-dagger]

Why not put the files in a directory outside of the apache html directory and use a php download program?

[gigapixels Veteran]

Ahhh.... true, I could do that.

How would I go about sending the user a file that's not in a public directory? Keep in mind, I believe some of these files are over 100MB.

Edited February 3, 2005 by fubarshibby

[KeyStorm]

Look, what you can do is redirect any queries to any file or directory in your folder to be redirected to your PHP-authentication file. From there you may access any file and output it as you like. (You even may link the user to the actual file, and have php run first, then look for the requested file and output it transparently for the user).

Now you need to know what to write into the .htaccess... I don't know much about apache syntax, but i think this may work:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule abs/patch/to/the/files/(.*) abs/path/to/the/script/yourScript.php?request=$1

I'm not completely sure this will work well... test around and take a look at this

Well you see it passes the name of the file to the 'request' get-parameter of your php scipt (which might be located anywhere else, not necesarily the same folder, this way you'd avoid that they pointed to your script inside the files folder ;)).

Well, try it and play around with the Apache commands.

[gigapixels Veteran]

How would I output it to the user though? Would readfile() be feasible? Or would the htaccess file allow me to do a header() command and change the location without redirecting to the same script?

Thanks for all the help so far.

[KeyStorm]

Oh, that's easy.

header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="'.$filename."');
readfile('path/to/the/files/'.$filename);

You may have made some cheks to see if the file exists before, for security's sake. Maybe there's some urldecode() to do to the passed parameter, but I doubt that.

Edit: I recall there was a way to load anything BEFORE the actual file was loaded, this would be great to authenticate first and, depending on the results, send 403 headers or allow the file to be sent, but I can't seem to find it atm.

Edited February 4, 2005 by KeyStorm

[gigapixels Veteran]

Yeah, I knew how to do that, I'm just making sure there wouldn't be a problem doing that with a 100MB+ file...

[KeyStorm]

I can't see why, tbh. Maybe the process time limit may cut the data flow, but the best way to know... is to test it ;)

You may create a random crap sring and echo it to the browser as attachment. In the worst case there is a command in htaccess to change the time limit anyway for current call, so you may use that.

[gigapixels Veteran]

Alright, well I tested it with a 6.3 MB file and it was fine, so I'll just have to test it in a bit with the larger files...

Thanks again :D

[gigapixels Veteran]

Problem :(

The server that my client is hosted on doesn't seem to allow the RewriteEngine... I've used it before for a different site, so I know I'm not doing anything wrong. I also found out through the hosting provider's support pages that you can't even do your own .htaccess protection; you have to email them to get it protected.

Well, their current site's files aren't protected in any way, I just figured it would be better if I did this for them. I guess I just won't give direct links; I'll simply use the header command. I don't think their clients are going to be trying to gain access without permission because AFAIK my client hasn't had any problems yet.

[Linkinfamous]

By the way. That's what I meant. I just couldn't think of the PHP way to do it :p

[gigapixels Veteran]

Now I feel really stupid: I just realized that they're on an IIS server and that's why there's no .htaccess :blush:

The funny thing is, I knew this, but I'd never really thought about it, you know?

Well I found out a way to get through it though; they have some software called iisProtect on there, which is what I wanted to get away from... But I figured out a way for it to work nicely with my PHP pages. So it's all good now.

Thanks for you help!

[Devion]

Just so you know if there running iis6 instead of .htaccess use web.xml :) it does the same thing but on iis. Atm its not as rich as apache, but it has all the major and most used function capability. (iis7 says it will be just as rich as .htaccess)

I was about to say, if it was on apache php can control the authentication box, I cant remeber the code *damn* anyway cant be done on iis atm.

[j79zlr]

why not use php to protect the info, have a form input and validate a password

<?php
$password = $_POST['password'];
$valid_pw = array('valid', 'passwords', 'in', 'this', 'array');  // you could do this with MySQL, or with just one password
if (in_array($password, $valid_ps)) {
 // the code for valid users here
}
else {
echo "Not authorized";
}
?>

[Josh]

I've never heard of web.xml... can you point me to some documentation about this?

[gigapixels Veteran]

  j79zlr said:

why not use php to protect the info, have a form input and validate a password

<?php
$password = $_POST['password'];
$valid_pw = array('valid', 'passwords', 'in', 'this', 'array');  // you could do this with MySQL, or with just one password
if (in_array($password, $valid_ps)) {
 // the code for valid users here
}
else {
echo "Not authorized";
}
?>

585414562[/snapback]

I/They don't want the directories available to the public. Currently they're protected, using IISProtect software that they've got.

I just decided to go ahead and keep it, since it works just like .htaccess except it's got an entire administration area to have users, groups, access levels, etc... I just wanted to see if there was a way to do it myself.

[tiddlie]

Just create a download parse file that hides the url of the actual file, and only allows access to the file if the user is validated. PM me for more details. Can't be bothered typing at the moment, but it works and is fairly simple.

[gigapixels Veteran]

Nah, I've got it all covered. Besides, this way my client won't have to learn a new way of adding/deleting users and groups and everything. They'll be able to be comfortable with what they've got.

In any case, they're not paying me enough to have me try and create a whole new way to secure that area of the site. ;) Especially since it'll be fine the way it is.