1. An apparatus for Asynchronous Java Script and XML (AJAX) form-based authentication using Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition, the apparatus comprising: a server having a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the processor is programmed to perform authentication by executing computer code implementing: a redirection module configured to: detect whether an AJAX request received from an AJAX-enabled application on a client requires access to data marked as secure; and redirect the AJAX request to an authentication required servlet in response to detecting that the AJAX request requires access to data marked as secure; a response module configured to issue an AJAX response to the AJAX-enabled application on the client if the AJAX request is redirected to the authentication required servlet, the AJAX response, independently of a server-side security credential form, directing the AJAX-enabled application on the client to obtain user security credentials and to return the obtained security credentials to the server; an authentication module configured to authenticate the user security credentials using a web container authentication service, the user security credentials received by way of an AJAX form-based authentication request such that the authentication module simulates a conventional form submission without actually using a form on the server-side; and a processing module configured to process the AJAX request in response to a positive authentication of the user security credentials.
1. An apparatus for Asynchronous Java Script and XML (AJAX) form-based authentication using Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition, the apparatus comprising: a server having a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the processor is programmed to perform authentication by executing computer code implementing: a redirection module configured to: detect whether an AJAX request received from an AJAX-enabled application on a client requires access to data marked as secure; and redirect the AJAX request to an authentication required servlet in response to detecting that the AJAX request requires access to data marked as secure; a response module configured to issue an AJAX response to the AJAX-enabled application on the client if the AJAX request is redirected to the authentication required servlet, the AJAX response, independently of a server-side security credential form, directing the AJAX-enabled application on the client to obtain user security credentials and to return the obtained security credentials to the server; an authentication module configured to authenticate the user security credentials using a web container authentication service, the user security credentials received by way of an AJAX form-based authentication request such that the authentication module simulates a conventional form submission without actually using a form on the server-side; and a processing module configured to process the AJAX request in response to a positive authentication of the user security credentials. 4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the web container authentication service comprises a Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition web container authentication service.