git-http-backend: anonymous read, authenticated write
I've been trying to set up git-http-backend+lighttpd. I've managed to set up anonymous read-only access, and I then successfully configured authentication for both read and write. Then I get stuck. The man-page for git-http-backend says that the following snippet can be used for Apache 2.x: AuthType Basic AuthName "Git Access" Require group committers ... However, when I put in this match on location in my lighty config and try to push I'm not asked for a password, instead I'm greeted with % git push error: The requested URL returned error: 403 Forbidden while accessing http://magnus@tracsrv.local/git/foo.git/info/refs?service=git-receive-pack AFAICS this means the man-page is wrong, and that I instead ought to match on the "service=git-receive-pack" part. Is that a correct conclusion? /M -- Magnus Therning OpenPGP: 0xAB4DFBA4 email: mag...@therning.org jabber: mag...@therning.org twitter: magthe http://therning.org/magnus I invented the term Object-Oriented, and I can tell you I did not have C++ in mind. -- Alan Kay pgpFgtZeHEfJz.pgp Description: PGP signature
Re: git-http-backend: anonymous read, authenticated write
On Tue, Apr 09, 2013 at 01:12:47PM -0400, Jeff King wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 09, 2013 at 07:45:53AM +0200, Magnus Therning wrote:
>
>> I've been trying to set up git-http-backend+lighttpd. I've managed
>> to set up anonymous read-only access, and I then successfully
>> configured authentication for both read and write. Then I get
>> stuck. The man-page for git-http-backend says that the following
>> snippet can be used for Apache 2.x:
>>
>>
>> AuthType Basic
>> AuthName "Git Access"
>> Require group committers
>> ...
>>
>>
>> However, when I put in this match on location in my lighty config
>> and try to push I'm not asked for a password, instead I'm greeted
>> with
>>
>> % git push
>> error: The requested URL returned error: 403 Forbidden while accessing
>> http://magnus@tracsrv.local/git/foo.git/info/refs?service=git-receive-pack
>
> Something in your config is blocking access to info/refs there. It
> should not be the block shown above, which handles only the actual POST
> of the data. The sequence of http requests made is:
>
> 1. GET $repo/info/refs?service=git-receive-pack
>
> This makes initial contact and gets the ref information which push
> uses to decide what it is going to push. So it is read-only, and in
> an anonymous-read setup, does not need to be protected.
>
> 2. POST $repo/git-receive-pack
>
> This actually pushes up the objects and updates the refs, and
> must be protected.
>
> The setup listed above does work with apache; it is tested as part of
> our test suite (you can see the actual config in t/lib-httpd/apache.conf).
> So what in lighttpd is giving us the 403? Can you share your whole
> config?
I was putting together a *long* response, with my different
configurations when it suddenly hit me how to make it work.
So, this is the accesslog for a successful `git push`:
192.168.1.84 tracsrv.local - [10/Apr/2013:22:24:59 +0200] "GET
/git/foo.git/info/refs?service=git-receive-pack HTTP/1.1" 401 351 "-"
"git/1.8.2.1"
192.168.1.84 tracsrv.local - [10/Apr/2013:22:24:59 +0200] "GET
/git/foo.git/info/refs?service=git-receive-pack HTTP/1.1" 401 351 "-"
"git/1.8.2.1"
192.168.1.84 tracsrv.local magnus [10/Apr/2013:22:25:04 +0200] "GET
/git/foo.git/info/refs?service=git-receive-pack HTTP/1.1" 200 202 "-"
"git/1.8.2.1"
192.168.1.84 tracsrv.local magnus [10/Apr/2013:22:25:09 +0200] "POST
/git/foo.git/git-receive-pack HTTP/1.1" 200 73 "-" "git/1.8.2.1"
That is, *both* the GET and POST queries require a valid username
(trying to push without a valid user will fail with a 403 already on
the GET query). Maybe Apache 2.x simply behaves *very* differently
from lighttpd, but I still can't see how a rule to require a valid
user only on the POST can ever work.
>> AFAICS this means the man-page is wrong, and that I instead ought
>> to match on the "service=git-receive-pack" part. Is that a correct
>> conclusion?
>
> No. It is not a bad idea to _also_ match on info/refs, but I think
> it's a little trickier (you need to reliably match the query string
> to differentiate it from a fetch, which IIRC is a little hard in
> apache, at least).
This is what triggered me to find a working config. Matching on the
query string is actually *very* easy in lighttpd. Here's the relevant
bit of a working configuration[1]:
alias.url += ( "/git" => "/usr/lib/git-core/git-http-backend" )
$HTTP["querystring"] =~ "service=git-receive-pack" {
$HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git" {
cgi.assign = ( "" => "" )
setenv.add-environment = (
"GIT_PROJECT_ROOT" => "/srv/git",
"GIT_HTTP_EXPORT_ALL" => ""
)
include "trac-git-auth.conf"
}
} else $HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git/.*/git-receive-pack$" {
cgi.assign = ( "" => "" )
setenv.add-environment = (
"GIT_PROJECT_ROOT" => "/srv/git",
"GIT_HTTP_EXPORT_ALL" => ""
)
include "trac-git-auth.conf"
} else $HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git" {
cgi.assign = ( "" => "" )
setenv.add-environment = (
"GIT_PROJECT_ROOT" => "/srv/git",
"GIT_HTTP_EXPORT_ALL" => ""
)
}
> But if you d
Re: git-http-backend: anonymous read, authenticated write
On Tue, Apr 09, 2013 at 02:24:26PM +0200, Jakub Narębski wrote: > On 09.04.2013, Magnus Therning wrote: > > > I've been trying to set up git-http-backend+lighttpd. I've managed to > > set up anonymous read-only access, and I then successfully configured > > authentication for both read and write. Then I get stuck. The > > man-page for git-http-backend says that the following snippet can be > > used for Apache 2.x: > > > > > > AuthType Basic > > AuthName "Git Access" > > Require group committers > > ... > > > > > > However, when I put in this match on location in my lighty config and > > try to push I'm not asked for a password, instead I'm greeted with > > > > % git push > > error: The requested URL returned error: 403 Forbidden while > > accessing > http://magnus@tracsrv.local/git/foo.git/info/refs?service=git-receive-pack > > > > AFAICS this means the man-page is wrong, and that I instead ought to > > match on the "service=git-receive-pack" part. Is that a correct > > conclusion? > > Yes, it is. > > I have tried to do the same anonymous read and authenticated write > in "smart HTTP" access in Apache. There are some proposals[1], > all I think which use mod_rewrite (as LocationMatch doesn't take > query string into account, unfortunately), but I haven't been able > to make it work. > > The problem is that both POST *and GET* (to get refs) must be authethicated. > > Nb. I thought that it was corrected... which git version do you use? 1.8.2 on the server, though 1.8.2.1 is available for the distro I'm using. The discussion you refer to took place in 2010, I doubt any improvement has been made to this in that point release, or am I wrong? > [1]: http://paperlined.org/apps/git/SmartHTTP_Ubuntu.html > > > In the end I have worked around this by allowing all registered users to > read with "require valid-user" (which in my situation might be even more > correct solution; the case being repositories for Computer Science class > lab work), and restricting write via pre-receive hook which checks > REMOTE_USER. I *really* want anonymous RO access so the CI server doesn't need any credentials. I could of course set up git-http-backend to be served on two different URLs, but that's just ugly ;) Luckily I did find a working configuration, which I posted in another email in this thread. /M -- Magnus Therning OpenPGP: 0xAB4DFBA4 email: mag...@therning.org jabber: mag...@therning.org twitter: magthe http://therning.org/magnus Perl is another example of filling a tiny, short-term need, and then being a real problem in the longer term. -- Alan Kay pgp6Iw96ionh4.pgp Description: PGP signature
Re: git-http-backend: anonymous read, authenticated write
On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 05:47:22PM -0400, Jeff King wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 11:30:59PM +0200, Jakub Narębski wrote:
>
>>> 1. GET $repo/info/refs?service=git-receive-pack
>>>
>>> This makes initial contact and gets the ref information which
>>> push uses to decide what it is going to push. So it is
>>> read-only, and in an anonymous-read setup, does not need to
>>> be protected.
>>
>> Yes, it doesn't need to be protected, but *git-receive-pack*
>> requires (or required) valid user even for above GET request for
>> getting refs.
>
> Right. But that is not anything receive-pack is doing; it is up to
> his webserver config, which is why I asked to see it.
Nope. I'm pretty sure this had *nothing* to do with my config. This
is the original config, which doesn't work:
$HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git" {
cgi.assign = ( "" => "" )
setenv.add-environment = (
"GIT_PROJECT_ROOT" => "/srv/git",
"GIT_HTTP_EXPORT_ALL" => ""
)
$HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git/.*/git-receive-pack$" {
include "trac-git-auth.conf"
}
}
This will turn on authentication *only* for URLs matching
^/git/.*/git-receive-pack$, which AFAIU is *exactly* what the manpage states is
all that is needed.
This is the configuration that actually works:
$HTTP["querystring"] =~ "service=git-receive-pack" {
$HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git" {
cgi.assign = ( "" => "" )
setenv.add-environment = (
"GIT_PROJECT_ROOT" => "/srv/git",
"GIT_HTTP_EXPORT_ALL" => ""
)
include "trac-git-auth.conf"
}
} else $HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git" {
cgi.assign = ( "" => "" )
setenv.add-environment = (
"GIT_PROJECT_ROOT" => "/srv/git",
"GIT_HTTP_EXPORT_ALL" => ""
)
$HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git/.*/git-receive-pack$" {
include "trac-git-auth.conf"
}
}
The top bit adds matching against the query string and ^/git which
forces authentication on the initial GET as well.
>>> 2. POST $repo/git-receive-pack
>>>
>>> This actually pushes up the objects and updates the refs, and
>>> must be protected.
>>>
>>> The setup listed above does work with apache; it is tested as part
>>> of our test suite (you can see the actual config in
>>> t/lib-httpd/apache.conf). So what in lighttpd is giving us the
>>> 403? Can you share your whole config?
>>
>> I think I have seen a patch on git mailing list to correct this,
>> but I am not sure.
>>
>> Are you sure that we test this correctly?
>
> Perhaps you are thinking of the jk/maint-http-half-auth-push topic
> from last August/September. It explicitly tests the setup from the
> manpage. The relevant commits are 4c71009 (t: test http access to
> "half-auth" repositories, 2012-08-27) which demonstrates the
> problem, and b81401c (http: prompt for credentials on failed POST,
> 2012-08-27).
>
> However, even before the fix, it never got a 403 on the GET of
> info/refs. It got a 401 on the later POST, but didn't prompt for
> credentials.
I know nothing about CGI, but surely the script signals the need for a
valid user to the server somehow, couldn't the web server then decide
to return 403 rather than 401 *if there's no configuration for
authentication*?
In any case it seems there is no fix in the version of git in Arch
Linux[1].
/M
[1]: The package I've been using is built from these unpatched
sources: http://git-core.googlecode.com/files/git-1.8.2.tar.gz
--
Magnus Therning OpenPGP: 0xAB4DFBA4
email: mag...@therning.org jabber: mag...@therning.org
twitter: magthe http://therning.org/magnus
I invented the term Object-Oriented, and I can tell you I did not have
C++ in mind.
-- Alan Kay
pgpahfEucblbu.pgp
Description: PGP signature
Re: git-http-backend: anonymous read, authenticated write
On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 3:56 AM, Jeff King wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 01:19:19AM +0200, Magnus Therning wrote:
>
>> Nope. I'm pretty sure this had *nothing* to do with my config. This
>> is the original config, which doesn't work:
>>
>> $HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git" {
>> cgi.assign = ( "" => "" )
>> setenv.add-environment = (
>> "GIT_PROJECT_ROOT" => "/srv/git",
>> "GIT_HTTP_EXPORT_ALL" => ""
>> )
>> $HTTP["url"] =~ "^/git/.*/git-receive-pack$" {
>> include "trac-git-auth.conf"
>> }
>> }
>
> Ah, I think I see what it is.
>
> Did you turn on http.receivepack in the git config to enable pushing?
Nope, of course I didn't :) Instead I did what the man-page tells me
will allow full export of a git repo *without* having to fiddle around
with the repo's config:
1. set GIT_HTTP_EXPORT_ALL in the environment
2. turn on authentication for *one* location that requires it for
pushing: ^/git/.*/git-receive-pack$
[...]
> If there is no authentication happening for the initial service-request,
> then the default http.receivepack kicks in, which is to turn pushing
> off (because there is no authenticated user).
Yes, but that only becomes clear when looking at the traffic. In
fact, the whole design of services is not clearly mentioned in the
man-page. I was *very* surprised to see the query strings when I
started looking at the access logs.
> The documentation should probably make the use of http.receivepack more
> clear in this situation.
I think that'd be good. The fact that it wasn't until several mails
into the thread that anyone thought of the http.receivepack setting
also suggests that its use is a bit un-intuitive (even though it
probably makes perfect sense and is a good solution).
> So _if_ you fixed it by setting http.receivepack (which I think is the
> simplest thing under Apache, since matching the query string there is
> hard), then you would need a version of git with that fix on the
> client side to actually have git prompt for the password correctly.
Ah, so *that* is the fix that has been mentioned (I haven't bothered
reading it myself), or are there in fact two fixes that have been
referred to in the thread?
> But your fix under lighttpd is much better, as it asks for the
> credentials up front (which means the client does not go to any work
> creating a packfile just to find out that it does not have access).
Yes, I think it also helps with my particular scenario where new repos
will be added from time to time. This way there is no second step,
after `git init`, that must be remembered.
Thank you very much for taking the time to help me out with this!
I'll also take a look at the patches you sent, as a dumb simpler user
I might have something to add, who knows?
/M
--
Magnus Therning OpenPGP: 0xAB4DFBA4
email: mag...@therning.org jabber: mag...@therning.org
twitter: magthe http://therning.org/magnus
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in
the body of a message to majord...@vger.kernel.org
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Re: [PATCH 1/2] doc/http-backend: clarify "half-auth" repo configuration
On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 5:32 AM, Jeff King wrote:
> When the http-backend is set up to allow anonymous read but
> authenticated write, the http-backend manual suggests
> catching only the "/git-receive-pack" POST of the packfile,
> not the initial "info/refs?service=git-receive-pack" GET in
> which we advertise refs.
>
> This does work and is secure, as we do not allow any write
> during the info/refs request, and the information in the ref
> advertisement is the same that you would get from a fetch.
>
> However, the configuration required by the server is
> slightly more complex. The default `http.receivepack`
> setting is to allow pushes if the webserver tells us that
> the user authenticated, and otherwise to return a 403
> ("Forbidden"). That works fine if authentication is turned
> on completely; the initial request requires authentication,
> and http-backend realizes it is OK to do a push.
>
> But for this "half-auth" state, no authentication has
> occurred during the initial ref advertisement. The
> http-backend CGI therefore does not think that pushing
> should be enabled, and responds with a 403. The client
> cannot continue, even though the server would have allowed
> it to run if it had provided credentials.
>
> It would be much better if the server responded with a 401,
> asking for credentials during the initial contact. But
> git-http-backend does not know about the server's auth
> configuration (so a 401 would be confusing in the case of a
> true anonymous server). Unfortunately, configuring Apache to
> recognize the query string and apply the auth appropriately
> to receive-pack (but not upload-pack) initial requests is
> non-trivial.
>
> The site admin can work around this by just turning on
> http.receivepack explicitly in its repositories. Let's
> document this workaround.
>
> Signed-off-by: Jeff King
> ---
> My understanding is that you can do query-string matching through a
> clever use of mod-rewrite. I am not nearly clever nor interested in
> Apache enough to figure it out, but if somebody does, it would be nice
> to put the recipe here.
>
> Documentation/git-http-backend.txt | 9 +
> 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/git-http-backend.txt
> b/Documentation/git-http-backend.txt
> index 7b1e85c..f43980f 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git-http-backend.txt
> +++ b/Documentation/git-http-backend.txt
> @@ -91,6 +91,15 @@ require authorization with a LocationMatch directive:
>
>
> +
> +In this mode, the server will not request authentication until the
> +client actually starts the object negotiation phase of the push, rather
> +than during the initial contact. For this reason, you must also enable
> +the `http.receivepack` config option in any repositories that should
> +accept a push. The default behavior, if `http.receivepack` is not set,
> +is to reject any pushes by unauthenticated users; the initial request
> +will therefore report `403 Forbidden` to the client, without even giving
> +an opportunity for authentication.
> ++
> To require authentication for both reads and writes, use a Location
> directive around the repository, or one of its parent directories:
> +
> --
> 1.8.2.rc0.33.gd915649
>
As the dumb user who started the thread that lead to this proposed
change, I do think this makes the documentation much clearer and had I
read this I most probably would have managed to set up the webserver
on my own.
/M
--
Magnus Therning OpenPGP: 0xAB4DFBA4
email: mag...@therning.org jabber: mag...@therning.org
twitter: magthe http://therning.org/magnus
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in
the body of a message to majord...@vger.kernel.org
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Re: git-http-backend: anonymous read, authenticated write
On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 9:34 PM, Jeff King wrote: > On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 08:52:56AM +0200, Magnus Therning wrote: > >> > The documentation should probably make the use of http.receivepack more >> > clear in this situation. >> >> I think that'd be good. The fact that it wasn't until several mails >> into the thread that anyone thought of the http.receivepack setting >> also suggests that its use is a bit un-intuitive (even though it >> probably makes perfect sense and is a good solution). > > Yeah, I did not even think of http.receivepack because I have never had > to set it before (it was turned on in the original tests that I built > top of). I have the impression that the anonymous-read/authenticated-write > setup you are using has not been all that commonly used. The example in > the manpage dates back to 2009, but it was only in 2012 that we got a > bug report that the client-side authentication handler has problems with > it. Really? I certainly think it deserves a bit more attention than that. It may be that gitosis and other SSH-based solutions have been around longer than git-http-backend, but from what I've understood from reading, it fits very nicely in between git-daemon and the rather heavy SSH-based stuff. >> > But your fix under lighttpd is much better, as it asks for the >> > credentials up front (which means the client does not go to any work >> > creating a packfile just to find out that it does not have access). >> >> Yes, I think it also helps with my particular scenario where new repos >> will be added from time to time. This way there is no second step, >> after `git init`, that must be remembered. > > Yeah, avoiding setting http.receivepack at all is helpful. Though note > that you can also set it in /etc/gitconfig for the whole system at once. Good point. /M -- Magnus Therning OpenPGP: 0xAB4DFBA4 email: mag...@therning.org jabber: mag...@therning.org twitter: magthe http://therning.org/magnus -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in the body of a message to majord...@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
