Help Centre › Building Processes
This article describes the RPA Browser functionality to handle HTTP Basic/Digest authentication dialogs.
For a full list of available functions, please read BROWSER functions.
Description
The BROWSER Handle HTTP authentication function allows you to automatically respond to HTTP Basic or Digest authentication dialogs that appear when navigating to password-protected resources. It uses the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) to intercept the authentication challenge and supply credentials before the browser shows a dialog.
Setting it up
To use the BROWSER Handle HTTP authentication function, follow these instructions:
{{popups:rpas/add:action=browser-http-auth}}
Once on a process map:
- Navigate to the process where you would like to add the BROWSER Handle HTTP authentication function
- Click on the green button's drop-down (right side of the green button labelled "Process")
- On the menu that appears, click on the "+ Activity" item
- From here you can select the BROWSER Handle HTTP authentication option
- Click "Add" once you are done
Input parameters
| Parameter | Required | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| URL | Yes | URL | – | The URL that requires HTTP authentication. |
| Username | Yes | Text | – | The authentication username. |
| Password | No | Password | – | The authentication password (plain text). Use either this or Vault key. |
| Vault key | No | Text | – | Vault key to retrieve the password from the credential vault (alternative to password). |
| Variable | No | Text | http_auth | Variable name to store the result. |
Output variables
| Variable | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| {http_auth} | Boolean | True if authentication succeeded, False if it failed or timed out. |
Errors
| Error | Description |
|---|---|
| Browser not open | No browser session is active. |
| Authentication failed | The credentials were rejected by the server. |
| Timeout | The authentication dialog did not appear within the timeout period. |
Tips
- Place this action before navigating to the protected URL so the credentials are ready when the challenge arrives.
- Use the Vault key parameter instead of plain-text passwords for better security.
- This handles HTTP 401 authentication dialogs, not HTML login forms – use BROWSER Log in for form-based logins.