Registry / auth-security / basic-auth-parser

basic-auth-parser

library0.0.2-1jsnpmunverified

The `basic-auth-parser` package provides a minimalist utility for parsing the `Authorization` HTTP header specifically for Basic Authentication schemes. It extracts the authentication scheme (e.g., 'Basic'), username, and password from a base64-encoded header string. The current stable version is 0.0.2-1, which was last published over four years ago, indicating that the package is no longer actively maintained. Due to its age and lack of updates, it does not support modern JavaScript module systems like ESM out-of-the-box, relying solely on CommonJS. Key differentiators from more actively maintained alternatives like `basic-auth` (from `jshttp`) or `http-auth-utils` include its extremely small footprint and singular focus, but this comes at the cost of modern features, security updates, and broader ecosystem support.

auth-security http-networking

npm install basic-auth-parser

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · BASIC-AUTH-PARSER

basic-auth-parser

auth-securityjavascriptv0.0.2-1

Install

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Import

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Disk

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Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

basicAuthParser

✓ const basicAuthParser = require('basic-auth-parser');

✗ import basicAuthParser from 'basic-auth-parser';

This package is CommonJS-only and does not officially support ESM `import` statements. Attempting to import it directly in an ESM context will likely result in a runtime error.

This quickstart demonstrates how to parse a Basic Auth `Authorization` header string using `basic-auth-parser`, showing both successful parsing and handling of invalid inputs.

const basicAuthParser = require('basic-auth-parser'); // Example: Parsing a valid Basic Auth header const authHeader = 'Basic YWRtaW46cGFzc3dvcmQ='; // 'admin:password' base64 encoded const parsedCredentials = basicAuthParser(authHeader); console.log('Parsed Credentials:', parsedCredentials); // Expected output: { scheme: 'Basic', username: 'admin', password: 'password' } // Example: Handling an invalid or malformed header const invalidAuthHeader = 'Bearer some-token'; const malformedAuthHeader = 'Basic invalid-base64-'; const parsedInvalid = basicAuthParser(invalidAuthHeader); const parsedMalformed = basicAuthParser(malformedAuthHeader); console.log('Parsed Invalid Header:', parsedInvalid); // Expected output for non-Basic scheme: null console.log('Parsed Malformed Header:', parsedMalformed); // Expected output for malformed base64: null

Debug

Known issues

breakingThe package has not been updated in over four years (last published 0.0.2-1). It is highly unlikely to receive security patches, bug fixes, or new features. Consider using actively maintained alternatives like `basic-auth` (from `jshttp`) or `http-auth-utils` for production environments.

fix

Migrate to a maintained library like `basic-auth` (`npm install basic-auth`) or `http-auth-utils` (`npm install http-auth-utils`).

affects: 0.0.1 - 0.0.2-1

gotchaThis package is exclusively CommonJS (`require`) and lacks official ESM (`import`) support. Integrating it into modern TypeScript or ESM-native projects may require specific build configurations or a CommonJS wrapper.

fix

For ESM projects, consider using a dynamic `import()` statement or a CommonJS-compatible module loader, or switch to an ESM-native alternative. Example for ESM: `const basicAuthParser = await import('basic-auth-parser').then(m => m.default || m);`

affects: 0.0.1 - 0.0.2-1

gotchaThe package only handles 'Basic' scheme parsing. It will return `null` for other `Authorization` schemes (e.g., 'Bearer', 'Digest') or malformed Basic Auth strings (e.g., invalid base64 encoding or missing colon).

fix

Always check for `null` return values and implement robust error handling or use a more comprehensive HTTP auth parsing library if supporting multiple schemes is required.

affects: 0.0.1 - 0.0.2-1

Errors

Common errors & fixes

TypeError: basicAuthParser is not a function

Attempting to use `basicAuthParser` as a function when it might be `undefined` or a malformed import due to incorrect module handling (e.g., in ESM context attempting to `import default as basicAuthParser`).

fix

Ensure the module is correctly imported using `const basicAuthParser = require('basic-auth-parser');` for CommonJS. If in ESM, consider `const basicAuthParser = require('basic-auth-parser');` or a dynamic import with proper default export handling: `const { default: basicAuthParser } = await import('basic-auth-parser');`

SyntaxError: Unexpected token 'export'

This error typically occurs when a CommonJS module is attempting to be imported using an ESM `import` statement in an environment that strictly enforces module types without transpilation or interoperability layers. This library does not export via `export`.

fix

Revert to CommonJS `require()` syntax: `const basicAuthParser = require('basic-auth-parser');`.

Upgrade

Version history

0.0.2-1latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

28 hits · last 30 days

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/mmalecki/basic-auth-parser ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/basic-auth-parser ↗