Unable to the basic auth with api token

Question

We are currently having issues accessing the REST API.

I have been able to successfully access the REST API using the following method

curl -D- -X GET --user email:api_token -H "Content-Type: application/json" "https://id.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/issue/abcxyz-24"

However when I try the following method:

JIRA_BASIC_AUTH=$(echo email:api_token | base64)

curl -D- -X GET -H "Authorization: Basic $JIRA_BASIC_AUTH" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "https://id.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/issue/abcxyz-24"

I get 401 unauthorized. We have tried giving the user site admin, tried the email in upper and lower case, removing the padding from the base64, trying to use the user_id and replacing the api_token with the password. It is always a 401 though.

We do have another account that can successfully use the method below, but we can not determine what is different with these accounts:

JIRA_BASIC_AUTH=$(echo email:password | base64)

The fact that the first method works leads me to believe we are not correctly passing the token / using the basic auth correctly but it all seems pretty straight forward.

Are there any other troubleshooting steps I can take.

Earl McCutcheon · Answer

Hey Robert,

I got confirmation on this one that it is indeed the Documentation being incorrectly worded and the Basic auth option has been fully deprecated so the base 64 encoded option using the API token is not intended to function, and this is expected behavior.

We are tracking the Documentation update here:

* https://ecosystem.atlassian.net/browse/DOCS-3193

Passing in the auth via  -u user:token option is the correct method for authentication moving forward.

Regards,
Earl

Robert Batson · Answer

Eric,

I appreciate your reply and action, very helpful.

Thanks,

Robert

Earl McCutcheon · Answer

Hi Robert,

I see what you are saying, with the encoded user and token as the depreciation notice specifically notes "Support for passwords in REST API basic authentication is deprecated and will be removed in the future" and  "we strongly recommend that you use API tokens instead."

Overall I am not sure about this one, as the wording in the message is unclear and can be taken two ways of either the basic auth is removed entirely and use the simple exe passing the user:token directly, or the other option of passing in the api token instead of password for the basic auth, and we need to get this properly clarified, so I have created the following BUG report with some follow up with our API and documentation teams to provide some clarification:

* https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JRACLOUD-72920

But as it currently sits I can verify that the Base64 encoded username:API_token passed in base 64 is not working and gives the error as you noted, I am just not sure if this is part of the depreciation or not.  Make sure to add yourself to the bug report to get updates as we make progress on this and get this point clarified.

Regards,
Earl