java - Spring LDAP Authentication (Automatic or not?) -

i read through spring ldap reference docs , unable figure out whether user authentication against ldap server automated or not.

by "automated" mean happens automatically on bean instantiation if provide userdn , password in contextsource. say, programmer never has call ldaptemplate.authenticate(...) - happens "behind-the-scenes".

so know

1. if spring ldap authentication automatic
2. if there fields can set change behavior

thanks,
ktm

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edit: ask question in context of code wrote. following contextsource 1 of context sources in beans file, user can opt use. used configure userdn , password @ runtime (for security reasons). want know whether ldap application use userdn/password collect @ runtime in authentication. (does authentication precede execution of code? ignore userdn/password fields code configures?)

public class runtimecontext extends ldapcontextsource {      public runtimecontext() {         super();         if (!resolveauthinfo()) {             system.out.println("failed resolve auth info. exiting...");             system.exit(1);         }     }      public boolean resolveauthinfo()     {         string myuserdn, mypassword;         try {             bufferedreader br = new bufferedreader(                     new inputstreamreader(system.in));             system.out.print("userdn: ");             myuserdn = br.readline();             system.out.print("password: ");             mypassword = br.readline();         } catch (ioexception e) {             return false;         }         super.setuserdn(myuserdn);         super.setpassword(mypassword);         return true;     } } 

i want know whether ldap application use userdn/password collect @ runtime in authentication.

http://static.springsource.org/spring-security/site/docs/3.0.x/reference/ldap.html

it use userdn , password collect @ runtime. based on how configure beans, ldap authentication use 1 of 2 paths in spring:

1. bind authentication (using bindauthenticator)
2. password comparison (using passwordcomparisonauthenticator)

these authenticators called within context of ldapauthenticationprovider can configured authenticator in security namespace configuration:

<authentication-manager alias="authenticationmanager">     <authentication-provider user-service-ref="usernamepassworduserdetailsservice">         <password-encoder ref="passwordencoder">             <salt-source ref="saltsource"/>         </password-encoder>     </authentication-provider>     <authentication-provider ref="ldapauthenticationprovider"/> </authentication-manager> 

when usernamepasswordauthenticationfilter invoked (via /auth/login page):

<http auto-config="true">     <form-login login-page="/auth/login"                 login-processing-url="/auth/j_security_check"/>     <logout invalidate-session="true" logout-url="/auth/logout"/> </http> 

a token created username , password. ldapauthenticationprovider responds token type:

public class ldapauthenticationprovider implements authenticationprovider, messagesourceaware {      ...      public boolean supports(class<?> authentication) {         return (usernamepasswordauthenticationtoken.class.isassignablefrom(authentication));     } } 

and uses information stored in ldapcontextsource authentication.