> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://playground.e107sk.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://playground.e107sk.com/alt-auth-plugin/reference/database-and-logs.md).

# Database and logs

## The `alt_auth` table

The plugin owns exactly one table, created at install:

| Column          | Type           | Holds                                                         |
| --------------- | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `auth_type`     | `varchar(20)`  | The method: `e107db`, `otherdb`, `importdb`, `ldap`, `radius` |
| `auth_parmname` | `varchar(30)`  | The parameter name, e.g. `otherdb_server`                     |
| `auth_parmval`  | `varchar(120)` | The value                                                     |

It is a plain key–value store: every box you fill in on a method page becomes one row.

Two properties are worth knowing:

* **Values are stored obfuscated, not encrypted.** They are Base64-encoded (twice). Anyone with read access to the database can trivially recover the original — including the password of the database account you entered. See [Security](/alt-auth-plugin/reference/security.md).
* **`auth_parmval` is 120 characters wide, and Base64 makes a value longer.** Double encoding inflates a value to roughly 1.8× its original length, so a value much over \~65 characters is at risk of being truncated when saved. Long LDAP DNs and long generated database passwords are the realistic candidates. See [Limitations](/alt-auth-plugin/reference/limitations.md).

The table has no primary key and is created as MyISAM.

## Admin log entries

| Code      | Meaning                                | LAN key          |
| --------- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| `AUTH_01` | Alt auth settings changed              | `LAN_AL_AUTH_01` |
| `AUTH_02` | Alt auth extended user classes changed | `LAN_AL_AUTH_02` |
| `AUTH_03` | Alt auth method settings changed       | `LAN_AL_AUTH_03` |

The [outbound sync](/alt-auth-plugin/getting-started/how-login-works.md#4-optional-creating-the-user-in-the-other-direction) writes an additional **warning-level** entry each time it creates a user in the foreign database, and another if it fails. The generated password is never written to the log.