---
title: "Using Basic Authentication"
method: GET
path: "/v1/example2"
tags: ["HTTPS Basic Authentication"]
---

# Using Basic Authentication

`GET /v1/example2`

To use HTTPS Basic Authentication, attach an `Authorization` header formatted so:

`Authorization: Basic bXkuZW1haWwuYWRkcmVzc0BvcGVuZGF0YWtpdC5vcmc6bXkucGFzc3dvcmQ=`

As given by [the standard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_access_authentication), the text following the `Basic` marker here is a base64 encoding of the credentials, provided in the form `email:password` (in this example `my.email.address@getodk.org:my.password`).

Because the colon symbol (":") is used as a separator, authenticating using an email address containing a colon is not possible. This is a general limitation of this authentication method; it is not specific to ODK Central.

Unlike the standard, we do not require the client to first send an unauthenticated request and retry the request only after receiving a `WWW-Authenticate` response, and in fact we will never send the `WWW-Authenticate` header. This is mostly because, as noted above, we generally discourage the use of this authentication method, and would rather not advertise its use openly. As a result, if you wish to use Basic Authentication, directly supply the header on any request that needs it.

_(There is not really anything at `/v1/example2`; this section only demonstrates how generally to use Basic Authentication.)_

## Headers

- `Authorization` string, required

## Response `200`

OK

- Success
  - `success` boolean, required

## Changes

- **2025-12-20** `022694254f0d` — 1 info
  - api operation id `Using Basic Authentication` removed and replaced with `useBasicAuthentication`
- **2025-03-13** `e8c2858fd4eb` — 1 info
  - api operation id `useBasicAuthentication` removed and replaced with `Using Basic Authentication`

[Change history](https://skmtc.dev/getodk/apis/odk-central-api/changes/v1/example2/get.md)

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/getodk/apis/odk-central-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/getodk/apis/odk-central-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc-service-production.skmtc.workers.dev/v1/apis/getodk/odk-central-api/revisions/2ff2c2a4dfc7/schema)