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# NEHotspotAuthenticationProvider

A protocol that defines methods that your extension adopts to start and stop the extension, and to handle commands to authenticate with the hotspot network.

```
protocol NEHotspotAuthenticationProvider : AppExtension
```

## Overview

Conform to this protocol in your hotspot helper app extension to handle the hotspot commands [`NEHotspotHelperCommandType.authenticate`](/documentation/NetworkExtension/NEHotspotHelperCommandType/authenticate), [`NEHotspotHelperCommandType.maintain`](/documentation/NetworkExtension/NEHotspotHelperCommandType/maintain), [`NEHotspotHelperCommandType.presentUI`](/documentation/NetworkExtension/NEHotspotHelperCommandType/presentUI), and [`NEHotspotHelperCommandType.logoff`](/documentation/NetworkExtension/NEHotspotHelperCommandType/logoff).

## Topics

### Managing provider life cycle

[`func start() async -> Bool`](/documentation/NetworkExtension/NEHotspotAuthenticationProvider/start())

Tells the extension to start the authentication provider, in response to a request from the framework.

[`func stop(reason: NEProviderStopReason) async`](/documentation/NetworkExtension/NEHotspotAuthenticationProvider/stop(reason:))

Tells the exension to stop the authentication provider, in response to a request from the framework.

[`enum NEProviderStopReason`](/documentation/NetworkExtension/NEProviderStopReason)

Reasons why the provider extension was stopped.

### Sending commands to the provider

[`func handleCommand(NEHotspotHelperCommand) async -> NEHotspotHelperResponse`](/documentation/NetworkExtension/NEHotspotAuthenticationProvider/handleCommand(_:))

Handles a given hotspot command, in response to a request from the framework.

[`class NEHotspotHelperCommand`](/documentation/NetworkExtension/NEHotspotHelperCommand)

A command for the hotspot helper to handle.

## Relationships

### Inherits From

[`AppExtension`](/documentation/ExtensionFoundation/AppExtension)

---

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