571 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
571 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
===================
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How to use sessions
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===================
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.. module:: django.contrib.sessions
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:synopsis: Provides session management for Django projects.
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Django provides full support for anonymous sessions. The session framework
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lets you store and retrieve arbitrary data on a per-site-visitor basis. It
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stores data on the server side and abstracts the sending and receiving of
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cookies. Cookies contain a session ID -- not the data itself (unless you're
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using the :ref:`cookie based backend<cookie-session-backend>`).
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Enabling sessions
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=================
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Sessions are implemented via a piece of :doc:`middleware </ref/middleware>`.
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To enable session functionality, do the following:
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* Edit the :setting:`MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES` setting and make sure
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it contains ``'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware'``.
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The default ``settings.py`` created by ``django-admin.py startproject``
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has ``SessionMiddleware`` activated.
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If you don't want to use sessions, you might as well remove the
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``SessionMiddleware`` line from :setting:`MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES` and
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``'django.contrib.sessions'`` from your :setting:`INSTALLED_APPS`.
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It'll save you a small bit of overhead.
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Configuring the session engine
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==============================
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By default, Django stores sessions in your database (using the model
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``django.contrib.sessions.models.Session``). Though this is convenient, in
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some setups it's faster to store session data elsewhere, so Django can be
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configured to store session data on your filesystem or in your cache.
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Using database-backed sessions
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------------------------------
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If you want to use a database-backed session, you need to add
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``'django.contrib.sessions'`` to your :setting:`INSTALLED_APPS` setting.
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Once you have configured your installation, run ``manage.py syncdb``
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to install the single database table that stores session data.
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Using cached sessions
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---------------------
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For better performance, you may want to use a cache-based session backend.
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To store session data using Django's cache system, you'll first need to make
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sure you've configured your cache; see the :doc:`cache documentation
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</topics/cache>` for details.
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.. warning::
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You should only use cache-based sessions if you're using the Memcached
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cache backend. The local-memory cache backend doesn't retain data long
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enough to be a good choice, and it'll be faster to use file or database
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sessions directly instead of sending everything through the file or
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database cache backends.
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Once your cache is configured, you've got two choices for how to store data in
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the cache:
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* Set :setting:`SESSION_ENGINE` to
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``"django.contrib.sessions.backends.cache"`` for a simple caching session
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store. Session data will be stored directly your cache. However, session
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data may not be persistent: cached data can be evicted if the cache fills
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up or if the cache server is restarted.
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* For persistent, cached data, set :setting:`SESSION_ENGINE` to
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``"django.contrib.sessions.backends.cached_db"``. This uses a
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write-through cache -- every write to the cache will also be written to
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the database. Session reads only use the database if the data is not
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already in the cache.
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Both session stores are quite fast, but the simple cache is faster because it
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disregards persistence. In most cases, the ``cached_db`` backend will be fast
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enough, but if you need that last bit of performance, and are willing to let
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session data be expunged from time to time, the ``cache`` backend is for you.
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If you use the ``cached_db`` session backend, you also need to follow the
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configuration instructions for the `using database-backed sessions`_.
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Using file-based sessions
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-------------------------
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To use file-based sessions, set the :setting:`SESSION_ENGINE` setting to
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``"django.contrib.sessions.backends.file"``.
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You might also want to set the :setting:`SESSION_FILE_PATH` setting (which
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defaults to output from ``tempfile.gettempdir()``, most likely ``/tmp``) to
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control where Django stores session files. Be sure to check that your Web
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server has permissions to read and write to this location.
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.. _cookie-session-backend:
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Using cookie-based sessions
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---------------------------
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.. versionadded:: 1.4
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To use cookies-based sessions, set the :setting:`SESSION_ENGINE` setting to
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``"django.contrib.sessions.backends.cookies"``. The session data will be
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stored using Django's tools for :doc:`cryptographic signing </topics/signing>`
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and the :setting:`SECRET_KEY` setting.
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.. note::
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It's recommended to set the :setting:`SESSION_COOKIE_HTTPONLY` setting
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to ``True`` to prevent tampering of the stored data from JavaScript.
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.. warning::
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**The session data is signed but not encrypted!**
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When using the cookies backend the session data can be read out
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and will be invalidated when being tampered with. The same invalidation
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happens if the client storing the cookie (e.g. your user's browser)
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can't store all of the session cookie and drops data. Even though
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Django compresses the data, it's still entirely possible to exceed
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the `common limit of 4096 bytes`_ per cookie.
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Also, the size of a cookie can have an impact on the `speed of your site`_.
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.. _`common limit of 4096 bytes`: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2965#section-5.3
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.. _`speed of your site`: http://yuiblog.com/blog/2007/03/01/performance-research-part-3/
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Using sessions in views
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=======================
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When ``SessionMiddleware`` is activated, each :class:`~django.http.HttpRequest`
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object -- the first argument to any Django view function -- will have a
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``session`` attribute, which is a dictionary-like object.
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You can read it and write to ``request.session`` at any point in your view.
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You can edit it multiple times.
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.. class:: backends.base.SessionBase
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This is the base class for all session objects. It has the following
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standard dictionary methods:
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.. method:: __getitem__(key)
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Example: ``fav_color = request.session['fav_color']``
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.. method:: __setitem__(key, value)
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Example: ``request.session['fav_color'] = 'blue'``
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.. method:: __delitem__(key)
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Example: ``del request.session['fav_color']``. This raises ``KeyError``
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if the given ``key`` isn't already in the session.
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.. method:: __contains__(key)
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Example: ``'fav_color' in request.session``
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.. method:: get(key, default=None)
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Example: ``fav_color = request.session.get('fav_color', 'red')``
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.. method:: pop(key)
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Example: ``fav_color = request.session.pop('fav_color')``
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.. method:: keys
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.. method:: items
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.. method:: setdefault
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.. method:: clear
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It also has these methods:
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.. method:: flush
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Delete the current session data from the session and regenerate the
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session key value that is sent back to the user in the cookie. This is
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used if you want to ensure that the previous session data can't be
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accessed again from the user's browser (for example, the
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:func:`django.contrib.auth.logout()` function calls it).
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.. method:: set_test_cookie
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Sets a test cookie to determine whether the user's browser supports
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cookies. Due to the way cookies work, you won't be able to test this
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until the user's next page request. See `Setting test cookies`_ below for
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more information.
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.. method:: test_cookie_worked
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Returns either ``True`` or ``False``, depending on whether the user's
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browser accepted the test cookie. Due to the way cookies work, you'll
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have to call ``set_test_cookie()`` on a previous, separate page request.
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See `Setting test cookies`_ below for more information.
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.. method:: delete_test_cookie
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Deletes the test cookie. Use this to clean up after yourself.
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.. method:: set_expiry(value)
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Sets the expiration time for the session. You can pass a number of
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different values:
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* If ``value`` is an integer, the session will expire after that
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many seconds of inactivity. For example, calling
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``request.session.set_expiry(300)`` would make the session expire
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in 5 minutes.
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* If ``value`` is a ``datetime`` or ``timedelta`` object, the
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session will expire at that specific date/time.
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* If ``value`` is ``0``, the user's session cookie will expire
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when the user's Web browser is closed.
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* If ``value`` is ``None``, the session reverts to using the global
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session expiry policy.
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Reading a session is not considered activity for expiration
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purposes. Session expiration is computed from the last time the
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session was *modified*.
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.. method:: get_expiry_age
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Returns the number of seconds until this session expires. For sessions
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with no custom expiration (or those set to expire at browser close), this
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will equal :setting:`SESSION_COOKIE_AGE`.
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.. method:: get_expiry_date
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Returns the date this session will expire. For sessions with no custom
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expiration (or those set to expire at browser close), this will equal the
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date :setting:`SESSION_COOKIE_AGE` seconds from now.
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.. method:: get_expire_at_browser_close
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Returns either ``True`` or ``False``, depending on whether the user's
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session cookie will expire when the user's Web browser is closed.
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Session object guidelines
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-------------------------
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* Use normal Python strings as dictionary keys on ``request.session``. This
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is more of a convention than a hard-and-fast rule.
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* Session dictionary keys that begin with an underscore are reserved for
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internal use by Django.
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* Don't override ``request.session`` with a new object, and don't access or
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set its attributes. Use it like a Python dictionary.
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Examples
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--------
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This simplistic view sets a ``has_commented`` variable to ``True`` after a user
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posts a comment. It doesn't let a user post a comment more than once::
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def post_comment(request, new_comment):
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if request.session.get('has_commented', False):
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return HttpResponse("You've already commented.")
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c = comments.Comment(comment=new_comment)
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c.save()
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request.session['has_commented'] = True
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return HttpResponse('Thanks for your comment!')
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This simplistic view logs in a "member" of the site::
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def login(request):
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m = Member.objects.get(username=request.POST['username'])
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if m.password == request.POST['password']:
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request.session['member_id'] = m.id
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return HttpResponse("You're logged in.")
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else:
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return HttpResponse("Your username and password didn't match.")
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...And this one logs a member out, according to ``login()`` above::
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def logout(request):
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try:
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del request.session['member_id']
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except KeyError:
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pass
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return HttpResponse("You're logged out.")
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The standard :meth:`django.contrib.auth.logout` function actually does a bit
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more than this to prevent inadvertent data leakage. It calls the
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:meth:`~backends.base.SessionBase.flush` method of ``request.session``.
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We are using this example as a demonstration of how to work with session
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objects, not as a full ``logout()`` implementation.
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Setting test cookies
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====================
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As a convenience, Django provides an easy way to test whether the user's
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browser accepts cookies. Just call the
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:meth:`~backends.base.SessionBase.set_test_cookie` method of
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``request.session`` in a view, and call
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:meth:`~backends.base.SessionBase.test_cookie_worked` in a subsequent view --
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not in the same view call.
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This awkward split between ``set_test_cookie()`` and ``test_cookie_worked()``
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is necessary due to the way cookies work. When you set a cookie, you can't
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actually tell whether a browser accepted it until the browser's next request.
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It's good practice to use
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:meth:`~backends.base.SessionBase.delete_test_cookie()` to clean up after
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yourself. Do this after you've verified that the test cookie worked.
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Here's a typical usage example::
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def login(request):
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if request.method == 'POST':
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if request.session.test_cookie_worked():
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request.session.delete_test_cookie()
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return HttpResponse("You're logged in.")
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else:
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return HttpResponse("Please enable cookies and try again.")
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request.session.set_test_cookie()
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return render_to_response('foo/login_form.html')
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Using sessions out of views
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===========================
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An API is available to manipulate session data outside of a view::
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>>> from django.contrib.sessions.backends.db import SessionStore
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>>> import datetime
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>>> s = SessionStore(session_key='2b1189a188b44ad18c35e113ac6ceead')
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>>> s['last_login'] = datetime.datetime(2005, 8, 20, 13, 35, 10)
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>>> s['last_login']
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datetime.datetime(2005, 8, 20, 13, 35, 0)
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>>> s.save()
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If ``session_key`` isn't provided, one will be generated automatically::
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>>> from django.contrib.sessions.backends.db import SessionStore
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>>> s = SessionStore()
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>>> s.save()
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>>> s.session_key
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'2b1189a188b44ad18c35e113ac6ceead'
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If you're using the ``django.contrib.sessions.backends.db`` backend, each
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session is just a normal Django model. The ``Session`` model is defined in
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``django/contrib/sessions/models.py``. Because it's a normal model, you can
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access sessions using the normal Django database API::
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>>> from django.contrib.sessions.models import Session
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>>> s = Session.objects.get(pk='2b1189a188b44ad18c35e113ac6ceead')
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>>> s.expire_date
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datetime.datetime(2005, 8, 20, 13, 35, 12)
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Note that you'll need to call ``get_decoded()`` to get the session dictionary.
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This is necessary because the dictionary is stored in an encoded format::
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>>> s.session_data
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'KGRwMQpTJ19hdXRoX3VzZXJfaWQnCnAyCkkxCnMuMTExY2ZjODI2Yj...'
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>>> s.get_decoded()
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{'user_id': 42}
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When sessions are saved
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=======================
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By default, Django only saves to the session database when the session has been
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modified -- that is if any of its dictionary values have been assigned or
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deleted::
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# Session is modified.
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request.session['foo'] = 'bar'
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# Session is modified.
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del request.session['foo']
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# Session is modified.
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request.session['foo'] = {}
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# Gotcha: Session is NOT modified, because this alters
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# request.session['foo'] instead of request.session.
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request.session['foo']['bar'] = 'baz'
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In the last case of the above example, we can tell the session object
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explicitly that it has been modified by setting the ``modified`` attribute on
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the session object::
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request.session.modified = True
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To change this default behavior, set the :setting:`SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST`
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setting to ``True``. When set to ``True``, Django will save the session to the
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database on every single request.
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Note that the session cookie is only sent when a session has been created or
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modified. If :setting:`SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST` is ``True``, the session
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cookie will be sent on every request.
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Similarly, the ``expires`` part of a session cookie is updated each time the
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session cookie is sent.
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Browser-length sessions vs. persistent sessions
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===============================================
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You can control whether the session framework uses browser-length sessions vs.
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persistent sessions with the :setting:`SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE`
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setting.
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By default, :setting:`SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE` is set to ``False``,
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which means session cookies will be stored in users' browsers for as long as
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:setting:`SESSION_COOKIE_AGE`. Use this if you don't want people to have to
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log in every time they open a browser.
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If :setting:`SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE` is set to ``True``, Django will
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use browser-length cookies -- cookies that expire as soon as the user closes
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his or her browser. Use this if you want people to have to log in every time
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they open a browser.
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This setting is a global default and can be overwritten at a per-session level
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by explicitly calling the :meth:`~backends.base.SessionBase.set_expiry` method
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of ``request.session`` as described above in `using sessions in views`_.
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Clearing the session table
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==========================
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If you're using the database backend, note that session data can accumulate in
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the ``django_session`` database table and Django does *not* provide automatic
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purging. Therefore, it's your job to purge expired sessions on a regular basis.
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To understand this problem, consider what happens when a user uses a session.
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When a user logs in, Django adds a row to the ``django_session`` database
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table. Django updates this row each time the session data changes. If the user
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logs out manually, Django deletes the row. But if the user does *not* log out,
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the row never gets deleted.
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Django provides a sample clean-up script: ``django-admin.py cleanup``.
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That script deletes any session in the session table whose ``expire_date`` is
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in the past -- but your application may have different requirements.
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Settings
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========
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A few :doc:`Django settings </ref/settings>` give you control over session
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behavior:
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SESSION_ENGINE
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--------------
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Default: ``django.contrib.sessions.backends.db``
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Controls where Django stores session data. Valid values are:
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* ``'django.contrib.sessions.backends.db'``
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* ``'django.contrib.sessions.backends.file'``
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* ``'django.contrib.sessions.backends.cache'``
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* ``'django.contrib.sessions.backends.cached_db'``
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* ``'django.contrib.sessions.backends.signed_cookies'``
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See `configuring the session engine`_ for more details.
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SESSION_FILE_PATH
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-----------------
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Default: ``/tmp/``
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If you're using file-based session storage, this sets the directory in
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which Django will store session data.
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SESSION_COOKIE_AGE
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------------------
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Default: ``1209600`` (2 weeks, in seconds)
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The age of session cookies, in seconds.
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SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN
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---------------------
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Default: ``None``
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The domain to use for session cookies. Set this to a string such as
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``".lawrence.com"`` (note the leading dot!) for cross-domain cookies, or use
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``None`` for a standard domain cookie.
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SESSION_COOKIE_HTTPONLY
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-----------------------
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Default: ``False``
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Whether to use HTTPOnly flag on the session cookie. If this is set to
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``True``, client-side JavaScript will not to be able to access the
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session cookie.
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HTTPOnly_ is a flag included in a Set-Cookie HTTP response header. It
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is not part of the :rfc:`2109` standard for cookies, and it isn't honored
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consistently by all browsers. However, when it is honored, it can be a
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useful way to mitigate the risk of client side script accessing the
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protected cookie data.
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.. _HTTPOnly: http://www.owasp.org/index.php/HTTPOnly
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SESSION_COOKIE_NAME
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-------------------
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Default: ``'sessionid'``
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The name of the cookie to use for sessions. This can be whatever you want.
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SESSION_COOKIE_PATH
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-------------------
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Default: ``'/'``
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The path set on the session cookie. This should either match the URL path of
|
|
your Django installation or be parent of that path.
|
|
|
|
This is useful if you have multiple Django instances running under the same
|
|
hostname. They can use different cookie paths, and each instance will only see
|
|
its own session cookie.
|
|
|
|
SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE
|
|
---------------------
|
|
|
|
Default: ``False``
|
|
|
|
Whether to use a secure cookie for the session cookie. If this is set to
|
|
``True``, the cookie will be marked as "secure," which means browsers may
|
|
ensure that the cookie is only sent under an HTTPS connection.
|
|
|
|
SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE
|
|
-------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Default: ``False``
|
|
|
|
Whether to expire the session when the user closes his or her browser. See
|
|
"Browser-length sessions vs. persistent sessions" above.
|
|
|
|
SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST
|
|
--------------------------
|
|
|
|
Default: ``False``
|
|
|
|
Whether to save the session data on every request. If this is ``False``
|
|
(default), then the session data will only be saved if it has been modified --
|
|
that is, if any of its dictionary values have been assigned or deleted.
|
|
|
|
.. _Django settings: ../settings/
|
|
|
|
Technical details
|
|
=================
|
|
|
|
* The session dictionary should accept any pickleable Python object. See
|
|
the :mod:`pickle` module for more information.
|
|
|
|
* Session data is stored in a database table named ``django_session`` .
|
|
|
|
* Django only sends a cookie if it needs to. If you don't set any session
|
|
data, it won't send a session cookie.
|
|
|
|
Session IDs in URLs
|
|
===================
|
|
|
|
The Django sessions framework is entirely, and solely, cookie-based. It does
|
|
not fall back to putting session IDs in URLs as a last resort, as PHP does.
|
|
This is an intentional design decision. Not only does that behavior make URLs
|
|
ugly, it makes your site vulnerable to session-ID theft via the "Referer"
|
|
header.
|