How to Use multiple User Providers

Each authentication mechanism (e.g. HTTP Authentication, form login, etc) uses exactly one user provider, and will use the first declared user provider by default. But what if you want to specify a few users via configuration and the rest of your users in the database? This is possible by creating a new provider that chains the two together:

• YAML

  # app/config/security.yml
  security:
      providers:
          chain_provider:
              chain:
                  providers: [in_memory, user_db]
          in_memory:
              memory:
                  users:
                      foo: { password: test }
          user_db:
              entity: { class: Acme\UserBundle\Entity\User, property: username }
  

• XML

  <!-- app/config/security.xml -->
  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  <srv:container xmlns="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/security"
      xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
      xmlns:srv="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/services"
      xsi:schemaLocation="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/services
          http://symfony.com/schema/dic/services/services-1.0.xsd">
  
      <config>
          <provider name="chain_provider">
              <chain>
                  <provider>in_memory</provider>
                  <provider>user_db</provider>
              </chain>
          </provider>
          <provider name="in_memory">
              <memory>
                  <user name="foo" password="test" />
              </memory>
          </provider>
          <provider name="user_db">
              <entity class="Acme\UserBundle\Entity\User" property="username" />
          </provider>
      </config>
  </srv:container>
  

• PHP

  // app/config/security.php
  $container->loadFromExtension('security', array(
      'providers' => array(
          'chain_provider' => array(
              'chain' => array(
                  'providers' => array('in_memory', 'user_db'),
              ),
          ),
          'in_memory' => array(
              'memory' => array(
                 'users' => array(
                     'foo' => array('password' => 'test'),
                 ),
              ),
          ),
          'user_db' => array(
              'entity' => array(
                  'class' => 'Acme\UserBundle\Entity\User',
                  'property' => 'username',
              ),
          ),
      ),
  ));
  

Now, all authentication mechanisms will use the chain_provider, since it’s the first specified. The chain_provider will, in turn, try to load the user from both the in_memory and user_db providers.

You can also configure the firewall or individual authentication mechanisms to use a specific provider. Again, unless a provider is specified explicitly, the first provider is always used:

• YAML

  # app/config/security.yml
  security:
      firewalls:
          secured_area:
              # ...
              pattern: ^/
              provider: user_db
              http_basic:
                  realm: "Secured Demo Area"
                  provider: in_memory
              form_login: ~
  

• XML

  <!-- app/config/security.xml -->
  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  <srv:container xmlns="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/security"
      xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
      xmlns:srv="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/services"
      xsi:schemaLocation="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/services
          http://symfony.com/schema/dic/services/services-1.0.xsd">
  
      <config>
          <firewall name="secured_area" pattern="^/" provider="user_db">
              <!-- ... -->
              <http-basic realm="Secured Demo Area" provider="in_memory" />
              <form-login />
          </firewall>
      </config>
  </srv:container>
  

• PHP

  // app/config/security.php
  $container->loadFromExtension('security', array(
      'firewalls' => array(
          'secured_area' => array(
              // ...
              'pattern' => '^/',
              'provider' => 'user_db',
              'http_basic' => array(
                  // ...
                  'provider' => 'in_memory',
              ),
              'form_login' => array(),
          ),
      ),
  ));
  

In this example, if a user tries to log in via HTTP authentication, the authentication system will use the in_memory user provider. But if the user tries to log in via the form login, the user_db provider will be used (since it’s the default for the firewall as a whole).

For more information about user provider and firewall configuration, see the SecurityBundle Configuration (“security”).