Authentication and Access Control
Authentication is the process of verifying user credentials for a named user. Authentication makes sure you are who you say you are. Users are typically authenticated with a username and password. Authentication verifies user credentials and associates an application session with the authenticated user. Every request to MarkLogic Server is issued from an authenticated user. Authentication, by itself, does not grant access or authority to perform specific actions. There are several ways to set up server authentication in MarkLogic Server.
Authentication by username and password is only part of the story. You might grant access to users based on something other than identity, something such as the originating IP address for the requests. Restricting access based on something other than the identity of the user is generally referred to as access control.
For details on authentication, see Authenticating Users.