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/**
 * Validate Credentials support for AuthenticationManagerImpl.
 * <p>
 * Determines that Credentials are valid. Password-based credentials may be
 * tested against an external LDAP, Kerberos, JDBC source. Certificates may be
 * checked against a list of CA's and do the usual chain validation.
 * Implementations must be parameterized with their sources of information.
 * <p>
 * Callers to this class should first call supports to determine if the
 * AuthenticationHandler can authenticate the credentials provided.
 *
 * @version $Revision: 1.11 $ $Date: 2005/06/17 13:24:38 $
 */
public interface AuthenticationHandler {

    /**
     * Method to determine if the credentials supplied are valid.
     * 
     * @param credentials The credentials to validate.
     * @return true if valid, return false otherwise.
     * @throws AuthenticationException An AuthenticationException can contain
     * details about why a particular authentication request failed.
     */
    boolean authenticate(Credentials credentials)
        throws AuthenticationException;

    /**
     * Method to check if the handler knows how to handle the credentials
     * provided. It may be a simple check of the Credentials class or something
     * more complicated such as scanning the information contained in the
     * Credentials object.
     * 
     * @param credentials The credentials to check.
     * @return true if the handler supports the Credentials, false othewrise.
     */
    boolean supports(Credentials credentials);
}