---
title: User and password authentication
product: Unity Version Control
canonical: https://docs.unity.com/en-us/unity-version-control/uvcs-on-prem/authentication/user-password-auth
last_updated: 2026-11-03
generated_at: 2026-11-04T07:50:18.383Z
locale: en-us
---

# User and password authentication

> Learn how User and password mode stores Unity Version Control On-Prem users and groups in configuration files on the server.

In the User and password (UP) mode, you define your own users and groups on the Unity Version Control (UVCS) server. This means UVCS doesn't depend on an external user and group provider.

## When to use User and password mode

UP mode is a good option for organizations that:

* Don't use LDAP or Active Directory.
* Use a mixed Linux and Windows environment where LDAP or Active Directory integration isn't an option.
* Manage access to the UVCS server in environments with no common user login across operating systems.

## How User and password mode stores users and groups

In UP mode:

* UVCS keeps a list of users.
* UVCS keeps a list of groups, and the relationships between users and groups.
* Each user sets their own password.

The server gets this information from two files in the server folder:

|    **File**   |                                                                                     **Format**                                                                                    |                                                   **Example**                                                   |
| :-----------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
|  `users.conf` |                                              All the users known to the system in UP mode, each followed by their encrypted password.                                             |                                     `john:527bd5b5d689e2c32ae974c6229ff785`                                     |
| `groups.conf` | All the groups known to the system in UP mode, each followed by the names of the users or groups it contains. Use the `@` symbol before the name of a group inside another group. | `developers:john:charlie:mike:@testers`. In this example, the `testers` group is inside the `developers` group. |

When a client authenticates, it sends the user name and encoded password.

To create and manage users and groups, refer to [Manage users and groups in User and password mode](./manage-up-users.md).

## Additional resources

* [Manage users and groups in User and password mode](./manage-up-users.md)
* [Server configuration files](../configure/server-configuration)
* [CHANGEUSERPASSWORD](../../uvcs-cli/changeuserpassword)
* [Security scenarios](../../security-scenarios)