SASL is an authentication framework that provides a layer of security for client-server communication. It allows clients to authenticate themselves to servers using various authentication mechanisms such as Kerberos, LDAP, and OAuth. SASL is used by various communication protocols such as SMTP, XMPP, and LDAP.
One of the plugins available is Authen::SASL::Perl, which implements several mechanisms and is implemented entirely in Perl. The second plugin is Authen::SASL::XS, which utilizes the Cyrus SASL C-library, and supports both version 1 and 2. In comparison, Authen::SASL::Cyrus is the predecessor to Authen::SASL::XS, and it is generally advised to use the latter.
By default, the order of plugins selected is Authen::SASL::XS, Authen::SASL::Cyrus, and then Authen::SASL::Perl. Users can change the order by using the "use Authen::SASL qw(Perl);" command or by specifically using one implementation only via "use Authen::SASL qw(My::SASL::Plugin);".
The SYNOPSIS of the module is as follows: "{use Authen::SASL; $sasl = Authen::SASL->new( mechanism => 'CRAM-MD5 PLAIN ANONYMOUS', callback => { pass => &fetch_password, user => $user, } );}".
Overall, Authen::SASL is a reliable, efficient, and flexible authentication mechanism that allows users to use various implementations of the connection class depending on their specific needs while ensuring secure network protocols.
Version 2.13: N/A