in this case, optional, since <code>file</code> is the default value
for this directive. You'll need to use this directive if you are
choosing a different source for authentication, such as
<codeclass="module"><ahref="../mod/mod_authn_dbm.html">mod_authn_dbm</a></code> or <codeclass="module"><ahref="../mod/mod_auth_dbd.html">mod_auth_dbd</a></code>.</p>
<codeclass="module"><ahref="../mod/mod_authn_dbm.html">mod_authn_dbm</a></code> or <codeclass="module"><ahref="../mod/mod_authn_dbd.html">mod_authn_dbd</a></code>.</p>
<p>Because storing passwords in plain text files has the above
problems, you may wish to store your passwords somewhere else, such
as in a database.</p>
<p><codeclass="module"><ahref="../mod/mod_authn_dbm.html">mod_authn_dbm</a></code> and <codeclass="module"><ahref="../mod/mod_authn_dbd.html">mod_authn_dbd</a></code>
are two modules which make this possible. Rather than selecting
<codeclass="module"><ahref="../mod/mod_auth_basic.html">mod_auth_basic</a></code> and <codeclass="module"><ahref="../mod/mod_authz_host.html">mod_authz_host</a></code> which