Providing Credentials for CQLSH

Provide a username and password to connect to a node on an authentication enabled DataStax Enterprise (DSE) cluster using credentials stored in the cqlshrc file or specified by command line options.

If problems occur while authenticating, then use the --debug option to show CQL shell settings and connection details.

Use cqlshrc

Edit the cqlshrc file. The location of this file depends on the type of installation:
- Package installations: /etc/dse/cassandra
- Tarball installations: <installation_location>/resources/cassandra/conf
Create or modify the ~/.cassandra/cqlshrc file by adding an [authentication] section with a username and password:
```
[authentication]
username = <role_name>
password = <password>
```
See cqlshrc.sample for an example.
Save the file in <$HOME>/.cassandra directory.
Set permissions on the file to prevent unauthorized access, because the password is stored in plain text:
```
chmod 440 <$HOME>/.cassandra/cqlshrc
```
Check the permissions on <$HOME>/.cassandra/cqlshrc_history to ensure that plain text passwords are not compromised.
Start cqlsh.
```
cqlsh
```

Use command line options

Start cqlsh and provide authentication credentials.

If you provide only the username, then cqlsh prompts for the password:

cqlsh -u <user_name>

If you provide both the username and password, then cqlsh uses the provided credentials to connect to the node:

cqlsh -u <user_name> -p <password>

Providing Credentials for CQLSH

Use cqlshrc

Use command line options

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