# Enabling NATIVE authentication explicitly

You can turn on NATIVE authentication explicitly by using a property.

To do so, specify one of the following values for the `derby.authentication.provider` property:

- NATIVE:credentialsDB

  This value tells Derby to use credentialsDB, a dedicated database, to store user credentials. This value must be set by using system-wide Java Virtual Machine (JVM) properties or by using the `derby.properties` file; it cannot be set in the database by using the `SYSCS_UTIL.SYSCS_SET_DATABASE_PROPERTY` procedure. When this system-wide value is set, credentialsDB is used to authenticate all operations. If an individual database holds credentials for the Database Owner, the global credentials database is used only to authenticate system-wide operations such as engine shutdown.

  The value of credentialsDB must be a valid name for a database.

- NATIVE:credentialsDB:LOCAL

  This value tells Derby to use credentialsDB for system-wide operations, but to use an individual database's SYSUSERS system table to authenticate connections to that database. This value must be set by using system-wide JVM properties or by using the `derby.properties` file; it cannot be set in the database by using the `SYSCS_UTIL.SYSCS_SET_DATABASE_PROPERTY` system procedure.

See the Derby Reference Manual for details on the `derby.authentication.provider` property.

Parent topic: Configuring NATIVE authentication
Related concepts
Working with a credentials database
NATIVE authentication and other database properties
Managing users and passwords
Converting an existing database to use NATIVE authentication