How to decode base64 url in python?

Question

For Facebook fbml Apps Facebook is sending in a signed_request parameter explained here:

http://developers.facebook.com/docs/authentication/canvas

They have

Answer 1

I have shared a code snippet for parsing signed_request parameter in a python based facebook canvas application at http://sunilarora.org/parsing-signedrequest-parameter-in-python-bas:

import base64
import hashlib
import hmac
import simplejson as json

def base64_url_decode(inp):
    padding_factor = (4 - len(inp) % 4) % 4
    inp += "="*padding_factor 
    return base64.b64decode(unicode(inp).translate(dict(zip(map(ord, u'-_'), u'+/'))))

def parse_signed_request(signed_request, secret):

    l = signed_request.split('.', 2)
    encoded_sig = l[0]
    payload = l[1]

    sig = base64_url_decode(encoded_sig)
    data = json.loads(base64_url_decode(payload))

    if data.get('algorithm').upper() != 'HMAC-SHA256':
        log.error('Unknown algorithm')
        return None
    else:
        expected_sig = hmac.new(secret, msg=payload, digestmod=hashlib.sha256).digest()

    if sig != expected_sig:
        return None
    else:
        log.debug('valid signed request received..')
return data