AJAX Authentication and Cross-Origin Requests

Course Overview

Updated in May 2025. This course now features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. Unlock the power of HTTP Basic Authentication to enhance the security of your AJAX applications. This course starts with an introduction to the fundamental principles of authentication, explaining why it’s crucial for web security. You will explore how AJAX leverages HTTP Basic Authentication by passing user credentials, using practical examples that demonstrate these concepts in action. Delve deeper into the technicalities of Basic HTTP Authentication, learning about the role of the XHR object and the significance of Base64 encoding. The course guides you through setting up and configuring an Apache server, a key skill for any developer working with web technologies. You'll gain hands-on experience in creating and securing web forms, configuring .htaccess files, and implementing custom error messages to handle unauthorized access. Finally, transition to modern practices with the Fetch API, ensuring you're up-to-date with the latest web development standards. By the end of this course, you will have a comprehensive understanding of how to secure your AJAX requests using HTTP Basic Authentication, setting a strong foundation for your future web development projects. This course is designed for web developers and IT professionals looking to enhance the security of their web applications. A basic understanding of AJAX, HTTP, and JavaScript is recommended. Familiarity with server-side concepts and command-line tools will be beneficial but not required.