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SASL

SASL (Simple Authentication and Security Layer) is another authentication framework commonly used in various protocols to provide a flexible and extensible mechanism for authentication. SASL itself is not a standalone authentication protocol but a framework that allows different protocols to incorporate a variety of authentication mechanisms.

SASL is often utilized in conjunction with protocols such as LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol), and XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), among others. It supports a wide range of authentication mechanisms, including:

  1. PLAIN: Basic username and password authentication.
  2. CRAM-MD5: Challenge-Response Authentication Mechanism with MD5 hashing.
  3. DIGEST-MD5: Similar to CRAM-MD5 but uses more secure digest hashing.
  4. GSSAPI (Generic Security Services Application Program Interface): Supports Kerberos authentication and other GSSAPI mechanisms.
  5. EXTERNAL: Allows a client to authenticate using credentials established by an external entity.

The versatility of SASL lies in its ability to negotiate and support different authentication mechanisms based on the capabilities of the client and server. It enables secure authentication in various network protocols, making it a valuable component in many authentication scenarios.