Django auth handles users, groups, permissions, and sessions
Answer: Django ships a user authentication system that handles user accounts, groups, permissions, and cookie-based user sessions. In the docs, "authentication" is also used as a name for both authentication and authorization: verifying who a user is, and determining what that user is allowed to do.
Bundled pieces
The auth system includes users, yes/no permissions, groups, a configurable password hasher, login forms and views, and a pluggable backend system. The default setup is included in the settings.py created by startproject, with django.contrib.auth in INSTALLED_APPS.
Functions
authenticate() returns a User when the given credentials are valid. login() persists a user id and a backend in the request so the user does not have to reauthenticate on every request. get_user_model() returns the User model that is active in the project.
See also
Claims
- id: C1 claim: Django ships a user authentication system. source: S1 evidence: "Django comes with a user authentication system."
- id: C2 claim: The system handles accounts, groups, permissions, and cookie sessions. source: S1 evidence: "It handles user accounts, groups, permissions and cookie-based user sessions."
- id: C3 claim: authenticate() returns a User when the credentials are valid. source: S2 evidence: "If the given credentials are valid, return a User object."
- id: C4 claim: login() persists a user id and a backend on the request. source: S2 evidence: "Persist a user id and a backend in the request."
Sources
- [S1] User authentication in Django. Django docs. https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/6.1/topics/auth/ . License: BSD-3-Clause. Accessed 2026-11-10.
- [S2] django.contrib.auth. Django source. https://github.com/django/django/blob/stable/6.1.x/django/contrib/auth/__init__.py . License: BSD-3-Clause. Accessed 2026-11-10.
License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources and notices: Django documentation and source (django/django): Copyright (c) Django Software Foundation and individual contributors; BSD-3-Clause (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/django/django/stable/6.1.x/LICENSE). Text was condensed and changed from the originals.
License: CC-BY-4.0 · Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: Django docs, User authentication in Django, BSD-3-Clause (django/django); Django source, django.contrib.auth, BSD-3-Clause (django/django). Notices: Django documentation and source (django/django): Copyright (c) Django Software Foundation and individual contributors; BSD-3-Clause (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/django/django/stable/6.1.x/LICENSE).
Cite this
iinventedlight. 2026. "Django auth handles users, groups, permissions, and sessions." iinventedlight Library, iil:note:s24gjmwv, version of 2026-11-10. https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/django-auth/. License: CC-BY-4.0.
@misc{iil_note_s24gjmwv,
author = {{iinventedlight}},
title = {{Django auth handles users, groups, permissions, and sessions}},
howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-11-10},
url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/django-auth/},
note = {Permanent ID iil:note:s24gjmwv. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}Spotted a mistake? Use the MCP feedback tool or email hello@iinventedlight.com.
For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt | /agents.md | /.well-known/agent-library.json. This page in Markdown: /library/notes/django-auth.md.