---
schema_version: "1"
id: 2bbfbd6e7bf3971ab9db41ef670d398022bd5387353c2b6fdf516563c6279730
title: Create or Edit a Basic Authentication External Credential
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/xcloud/264-0-0/nc_create_edit_basic_auth_ext_cred.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.nc_create_edit_basic_auth_ext_cred.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 6b2210c7d48c37d2b2df70a47c5f7b88a4b9d69ff9160601f91e0f868395988c
description: To authenticate directly into an external system with a static username and password, create an external credential that uses the Basic authentication protocol.
products:
  - Security
release: "264"
---
# Create or Edit a Basic Authentication External Credential

To authenticate directly into an external system with a static username and password, create an external credential that uses the Basic authentication protocol.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: both Salesforce Classic (not available in all orgs) and Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: all editions</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
          <colgroup>
            <col style="width:50%">
            <col style="width:50%">
          </colgroup>
          <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
            <tr class="">
              <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d79145e45">User Permissions
                Needed</th>
            </tr>
          </thead>
          <tbody>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e45 ">To view external credentials:</td>

              <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e45 ">View Setup and Configuration</td>

            </tr>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e45 ">To create, edit, or delete external credentials:</td>

              <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e45 ">Manage Named Credentials or Customize Applications</td>

            </tr>
          </tbody>
        </table>

1. From [Setup](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.basics_nav_setup.htm&type=5&language=en_US), use the Quick Find box to find and select **Named Credentials**.
2. Click **External Credentials**.
3. To create a new external credential, click **New**. To edit an existing external credential, click its link in the list of external credentials, and then click **Edit**.
4. Complete the fields.
    
    <table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
              <colgroup>
                <col style="width:25%">
                <col style="width:75%">
              </colgroup>
              <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
                <tr class="">
                  <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d79145e108">Field</th>
                  <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d79145e110">Description</th>
                </tr>
              </thead>
              <tbody>
                <tr class="">
                  <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e108 "><strong class="uicontrol">Label</strong></td>
                  <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e110 ">A user-friendly name for the external credential that’s shown in the Salesforce user
                    interface, such as in list views.</td>
                </tr>
                <tr class="">
                  <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e108 "><strong class="uicontrol">Name</strong></td>
                  <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e110 ">
                    <p>A unique identifier that’s used to refer to this external credential from callout
                      definitions and through the API.</p>
                    <p style="margin-bottom:0;">The name can contain only underscores and alphanumeric
                      characters. It must be unique, begin with a letter, not include spaces, not end with an
                      underscore, and not contain two consecutive underscores.</p>
                  </td>
                </tr>
                <tr class="">
                  <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e108 "><strong class="uicontrol">Authentication Protocol</strong></td>
                  <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e110 ">Select <strong class="uicontrol">Basic Authentication</strong>.</td>
                </tr>
              </tbody>
            </table>
5. Save the external credential.

## Create Principals

After you create an external credential that uses the Basic authentication protocol, create principals for it. You link an external credential to permission sets or user profiles through principals, and at run time, the platform ensures that the user has the permission set before accessing the remote system.

1. On the Named Credentials page, click **External Credential**.
2. Select the external credential that you created.
3. Scroll to Principals.
4. To create a principal for the external credential, click **New** or select **Edit** from the Actions menu of an existing principal.
    
    When editing an existing principal, not all the fields listed here are modifiable.
5. Enter the information for the principal.
    
    <table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
                <colgroup>
                  <col style="width:25%">
                  <col style="width:75%">
                </colgroup>
                <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
                  <tr class="">
                    <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d79145e191">Field</th>
                    <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d79145e193">Description</th>
                  </tr>
                </thead>
                <tbody>
                  <tr class="">
                    <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e191 "><strong class="uicontrol">Parameter Name</strong></td>
                    <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e193 ">Enter a name for the principal, such as <kbd>Admin</kbd> or
                      <kbd>Marketing Group</kbd>.
                    </td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr class="">
                    <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e191 "><strong class="uicontrol">Sequence Number</strong></td>
                    <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e193 ">Assign an optional sequence number. A sequence number specifies the order of
                      principals to apply when a user participates in more than one principal. For example, a
                      user can be part of multiple permission sets that are applicable for a credential
                      provider. Priority is from lower to higher numbers.</td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr class="">
                    <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e191 "><strong class="uicontrol">Identity Type</strong></td>
                    <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d79145e193 ">
                      <p> Select <strong class="uicontrol">Named Principal</strong> or <strong class="uicontrol">Per-User
                          Principal</strong>. A named principal applies the same credential or authentication
                        configuration for the entire org, while per-user authentication provides access control at
                        the individual user level.</p>
                      <p style="margin-bottom:0;">If you select Named Principal, also enter the username and
                        password for accessing the external system. When you save the principal, the external
                        credential is authorized automatically.</p>
                    </td>
                  </tr>
                </tbody>
              </table>
6. Save the principal.
    
    You can’t modify the Principal Name and Identity Type of an existing principal. To change these parameters, delete the principal and recreate it.

Now that you created the external credential and its principal, it’s time to create the connected name credential. See [Create or Edit a Named Credential](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.nc_create_edit_named_credential.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Configure a named credential to specify the URL of a callout endpoint. To specify the required authentication parameters for the callout, connect the named credential to an external credential."). For an overview of all of the steps required to configure a named credential, see [Create Named Credentials and External Credentials](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.nc_named_creds_and_ext_creds.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "To simplify the setup of authenticated callouts, create an external credential to specify an authentication protocol and then specify a named credential as the callout endpoint. Add custom headers to cover more use cases and security requirements. Use a permission set or profile to grant access so that users can make authenticated callouts. You can create and configure named credentials programmatically or through the Salesforce UI.").

#### See Also

- [Named Credentials](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.named_credentials_about.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Intended to secure and simplify authenticated API callouts to external systems, a named credential specifies the URL of a callout endpoint and its required authentication parameters in one definition. To streamline your Apex code and simplify the setup of authenticated callouts, specify a named credential as the callout endpoint.")