HTML form + PHP administration of htpasswd users (add, delete, change password)?

Question

I am using a webhotel which offers a very simple Linux + PHP setup, and does not allow many administration privileges; however, it seems that the server PHP setup there allows for running shell programs via shell_exec.

So what I'm looking for, is a simple PHP-based tool, which:

• Accepts a path for a .htpasswd file
• Shows an HTML form that allows for:
  • Adding a user with a password in the .htpasswd file
  • Changing the password of an existing user in the .htpasswd file
  • Deleting a user from the .htpasswd file
• These operations are done either through a PHP class, or by shell_exec'ing Linux commands (although PHP class is preferred, because I might not have permissions to run htpasswd and similar commands)
• Does not offer to change any .htaccess files (I prefer to write those manually)
• Preferably, comes in a single .php file (both the PHP code logic, and the HTML form, excluding libraries) - which I can put in a directory of choice, and then it handles the access to only that directory and below (i.e. if I want to manage a different directory, I'd have to copy the .php manager file there)

Basically, I guess it would look something like "Manage Users" of DirectoryPass:

http://www.directorypass.com/screenshots.php

... and AFAIK, there is a similar HTML form-based GUI in cPanel and such; but DirectoryPass is not for me because:

• It is written in Perl, and needs to run from cgi-bin
• In principle, it manages the whole filesystem, instead of just directory it is in (and below)
• Offers to write .htaccess files, which I don't want

Some other "almost there" stuff I found:

• http://enfoldit.com/index.php/2011/09/htpasswd-change-script/
  • OK: PHP + HTML form in single file (but extra library needed)
  • OK: can change password for the currently logged-in user
    
  • not OK: cannot change password of other users
  • not OK: cannot add or delete users
• http://innvo.com/1311865299-htpasswd-manager/
  • not OK: is just a PHP class, no HTML form
• http://www.phpbuilder.com/snippet/detail.php?type=snippet&id=110 (with http://www.thewebmasters.net/oldphp/Htpasswd-0_9.tar.gz)
  • OK: PHP + HTML form in single file (but extra library needed)
  • not OK: GUI kinda too simple (and doesn't really work for me)
    

There are also some suggestions on http://www.debianhelp.co.uk/htaccessweb.htm - but most of those refer to websites that do not exist anymore...

So is there anything out there, that would fit the requirements I've listed in this question/post?

Answer 1

This may be an option https://github.com/rafaelgou/php-apache2-basic-auth-manager. Don't have any experience with it, and not sure it has a super user... Is written entirely in PHP and Javascript, using YAML in preference to JSON files. The install instructions are located in the readme.

Best of luck!