August 6th, 2019
Are you a site developer? Have you ever thought about a module for Drupal that can add extra security while you are developing sites for your clients? Look no further! The Shield Drupal module allows you to protect your website using Apache Authentication. If a user does not know the user/password, it hides the site. This can all be configured within the administration interface, so there is no file editing. Shield can be applied to either single or multiple sites. This module is fantastic while developing your website.
PHP Authentication shield
Shield creates a shield for the site with Apache authentication. It hides the website if the user does not know a simple username/password. It handles Drupal as a "walled garden." This module helps you to protect your (dev) site with HTTP authentication.
Configuration
If you don't need the authentication, just leave the user field blank.
1. enable the module
2. go to the admin interface (admin/config/system/shield) and fill the form
3. nothing else
Plain Old CGI
Since the Drupal 7.23 release, you don't need any .htaccess modification for CGI. However, if you use plain old CGI, you still need a modification:
Modify .htaccess, inside . Add the following line at the beginning of the section:
RewriteRule .* - [E=REMOTE_USER:%{HTTP:Authorization}]
Conclusion
As a site developer, you should not pass up on this important tool! Shield is a powerful tool to keep your website hidden while under development. If you are a site developer, you should consider using Shield while developing your clients’ Drupal sites.