www-authenticate
Parser for WWW-Authenticate headers.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. The package is abandoned (last release 2015-08-05, no commits since 2019-08-14) and has high install friction. While it solves a real parsing problem and carries no known vulnerabilities, the lack of maintenance means it will not be updated for Python compatibility issues, security patches, or spec changes. For new projects, consider writing a small inline parser or using a maintained HTTP library's built-in authentication handling.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- No external dependencies, but Python version compatibility is unspecified and untested on modern versions given the package's abandonment.
- High install friction due to source-only distribution.
- Package is abandoned—last release was 2015-08-05 and last commit 2019-08-14.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD license is permissive; you may use, modify, and distribute this code freely with minimal restrictions, making it safe to embed in commercial or proprietary projects.
last release 2015-08-05 (4027 days) · last repo commit 2019-08-14 · 2 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 689,729 downloads/mo, #5,335 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
import www_authenticate
parsed = www_authenticate.parse(response.headers['WWW-Authenticate'])
if 'Basic' in parsed:
realm = parsed['Basic']['realm']- Whether the package works correctly on Python versions released after 2019.
- Whether parsing handles all real-world WWW-Authenticate header variations encountered in modern HTTP clients and servers.
What it is and what it does
www-authenticate is a small, dependency-free library that parses the WWW-Authenticate HTTP response header into an OrderedDict structure. The header itself is notoriously difficult to parse correctly because it mixes comma-separated challenges with comma-separated parameters, and real-world servers often violate the specification—some omit parameters entirely, and the Negotiate scheme uses a bare string instead of name-value pairs. This library abstracts away those parsing complexities.
You pass it a WWW-Authenticate header string and get back a dictionary keyed by authentication scheme name (e.g., 'Basic', 'Digest', 'Negotiate'). The values are either dictionaries of parameters, a single string, or None depending on the challenge structure. It's useful in any HTTP client or middleware that needs to inspect authentication requirements from a server response.
Use it for
- Extract the realm from a Basic authentication challenge to display a login prompt with the correct scope.
- Check which authentication schemes a server supports and select the strongest one your client can handle.
- Parse Negotiate challenges in a Kerberos or SPNEGO authentication flow without manual string splitting.
- Build an HTTP client that adapts its auth strategy based on the server's WWW-Authenticate response.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
The package is abandoned (last release 2015-08-05, no commits since 2019-08-14) and has high install friction. While it solves a real parsing problem and carries no known vulnerabilities, the lack of maintenance means it will not be updated for Python compatibility issues, security patches, or spec changes. For new projects, consider writing a small inline parser or using a maintained HTTP library's built-in authentication handling.
Install
www-authenticate on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction due to source-only distribution. Package is abandoned—last release was 2015-08-05 and last commit 2019-08-14. No maintenance activity since then. No external dependencies, but stagnation means security issues or Python compatibility problems would not be addressed.
No external dependencies, but Python version compatibility is unspecified and untested on modern versions given the package's abandonment.
License in practice
BSD license is permissive; you may use, modify, and distribute this code freely with minimal restrictions, making it safe to embed in commercial or proprietary projects.
Quickstart
import www_authenticate
parsed = www_authenticate.parse(response.headers['WWW-Authenticate'])
if 'Basic' in parsed:
realm = parsed['Basic']['realm']Verify before relying
- Whether the package works correctly on Python versions released after 2019.
- Whether parsing handles all real-world WWW-Authenticate header variations encountered in modern HTTP clients and servers.
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 4,027 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 689,729 / month, #5,335 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: www-authenticate-0.9.2.tar.gz
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See also ntlm-auth · django-simple-captcha · pyspnego · mail-parser · requests-gssapi · requests-kerberos · secure · cloudscraper · requests-credssp · requests-negotiate-sspi