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How can I make Firefox "invalidate" it's saved HTTP Basic Auth credentials for a website from the client side?

Currently, I have to restart the browser, which is rather cumbersome with multiple tabs open.

Is there a way to do this without having to restart Firefox/clear the cache/etc.

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3 Answers

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In Firefox 3 you can choose Clear Recent History from the Tools menu (Ctrl + Shift + Del). You can then select to just clear Active Logins from the details to just clear those sessions.

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The Web Developer toolbar allows HTTP authentication to be reset within a browser session.

From Firefox's Context Menu, choose Web Developer -> Miscellaneous -> Clear Private Data -> HTTP Authentication.

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The easiest way is to log out from the site instead of just closing the tab. If this is not an option and you know before hand you will be visiting a site you want forgotten you can install Sandboxie and run your Firefox (or any browser) in a sandbox. Delete the contents of the sandbox when done and everything you have done is gone.

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HTTP authentication is a special type of HTTP header that causes your web browser to prompt you for a user name and password, then re-send it automatically when it's needed. When a website uses this type of authentication, there is no way for the website to offer a log out option. In most browsers, you have to close the browser for it to forget your login information. – Bavi_H Aug 28 '10 at 2:19
@Bavi_H: I've heard that some browsers will forget existing sessions if the site sends a HTTP 401 while logged in. – grawity Oct 11 '11 at 17:46
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