# HTTP header

You can delegate user authentication to third-party systems (proxies/servers) using HTTP header authentication.

When this feature is activated, SonarQube expects that the authentication is handled prior to any query reaching the server. The tool that handles the authentication should:

* Intercept calls to the SonarQube server.
* Take care of the authentication.
* Update the HTTP request header with the relevant SonarQube user information.
* Re-route the request to SonarQube with the appropriate header information.

![](https://739659627-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FwuQmJTVPOsx7zNT5Aqwl%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-cf613ec4030d22bbd004f621ba94723058de47cc%2F427aabec883bfd25b61b383cc6ca0fc598450279.png?alt=media)

All the parameters required to activate and configure this feature are available in the SonarQube server configuration file. See the `SSO AUTHENTICATION` section in `<SONARQUBE_HOME>/conf/sonar.properties`.

Using HTTP header authentication is an easy way to integrate your SonarQube deployment with an in-house SSO implementation.