A method, system, and article of manufacture for providing an authentication
and
authorization pipeline for use in a web server to grant access to web resources
to users. The server creates an entry within an userID to roles database for each
user who may access resources present on the web server and creates an entry within
the roles to resource database for each resource that may be accessed on the web
server. The server then authenticates the identify of each user accessing a resource
on the web server using a userID, one or more authentication parameters, and a
resource access request, creates a data object having an authenticated userID and
one or more roles corresponding to the authenticated userID obtained from the userID
to roles database, and authorizes access to a resource identified within the resource
access request if one or more roles within the data object correspond to an access
role corresponding to the roles listed within the roles to resource database for
the identified resource.