Check user

  • Thread starter Thread starter shapper
  • Start date Start date
S

shapper

Hello,

I am creating a Poll system and I need to check if a user has already
voted.

What should be the best way to do this?

1. Should I save the user IP along with its vote in the database?
But does not some users IP change each time they access the
internet?

2. Should I place a cookie in after the user voted?

Well, any help will be great.

Thanks,
Miguel
 
Hi,
Hello,

I am creating a Poll system and I need to check if a user has already
voted.

What should be the best way to do this?

1. Should I save the user IP along with its vote in the database?
But does not some users IP change each time they access the
internet?
Click to expand...

It can, yes. IP is not reliable as identification of a person.
2. Should I place a cookie in after the user voted?
Click to expand...

It will only identify the browser that the user is using. If the user
changes PC, clears the cookie, or if another user uses the PC, you'll
have problems. So cookies are not reliable for identification of a person.
Well, any help will be great.
Click to expand...

Unless you implement a login system, with a secure password, and only
allow logged-in users to vote, you won't be able to do this reliably, I
fear. The Internet is pretty free. That's what allows you to post under
a nickname ;-)

One possible method is to ask the user politely to vote only once. That
will be at least as reliable as using cookies or IP...

Thanks,
Miguel
Click to expand...

HTH,
Laurent
 
Cookies are the usual approach for this kind of thing.
They're not especially secure but for most polling systems they're secure
enough.
IP addresses won't do the trick since those are changed and shared
frequently by various proxy servers.
If it's important that your system be secure then the best bet is probably
to implement a username & password login authentication system.
 
This is just a simple poll.
It does not need to be really accurate.

I think I will go for the cookie.

Thanks,
Miguel
 
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