diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 50a6ceb..dd8928f 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ rust-version = "1.70.0"
 [features]
 default = ["basic-scheme", "digest-scheme"]
 
+# Enable client side or server side libraries.
+server = []
+
 # Enable code to respond to challenges of the given scheme.
 basic-scheme = ["base64"]
 digest-scheme = ["digest", "hex", "md-5", "rand", "sha2"]
diff --git a/src/basic.rs b/src/basic.rs
index 14873c8..31f5c4c 100644
--- a/src/basic.rs
+++ b/src/basic.rs
@@ -6,8 +6,14 @@
 
 use std::convert::TryFrom;
 
+use crate::credentials::{Credentials, User};
+use crate::digest::Algorithm;
+#[cfg(feature = "server")]
+use crate::errors::AuthError;
 use crate::ChallengeRef;
 
+const PREFIX: &str = "Basic ";
+
 /// Encodes the given credentials.
 ///
 /// This can be used to preemptively send `Basic` authentication, without
@@ -30,7 +36,6 @@ use crate::ChallengeRef;
 pub fn encode_credentials(username: &str, password: &str) -> String {
     use base64::Engine as _;
     let user_pass = format!("{}:{}", username, password);
-    const PREFIX: &str = "Basic ";
     let mut value = String::with_capacity(PREFIX.len() + base64_encoded_len(user_pass.len()));
     value.push_str(PREFIX);
     base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode_string(&user_pass[..], &mut value);
@@ -42,6 +47,77 @@ fn base64_encoded_len(input_len: usize) -> usize {
     (input_len + 2) / 3 * 4
 }
 
+#[cfg(feature = "server")]
+pub struct PlaintextCredentials {
+    username: String,
+    realm: String,
+    password: String,
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "server")]
+impl Credentials for PlaintextCredentials {
+    fn get_user(&self) -> User {
+        User::Username(self.username.clone())
+    }
+
+    fn equals_plaintext(&self, username: &str, password: &str) -> Result<(), AuthError> {
+        if self.username == username && self.password == password {
+            Ok(())
+        } else {
+            Err(AuthError::IncorrectPassword)
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(feature = "digest-scheme")]
+    fn equals_digest(&self, digested: &str, algorithm: &Algorithm) -> Result<(), AuthError> {
+        let my_digest = algorithm.h(&[
+            self.username.as_bytes(),
+            b":",
+            self.realm.as_bytes(),
+            b":",
+            self.password.as_bytes(),
+        ]);
+        if my_digest == digested {
+            Ok(())
+        } else {
+            Err(AuthError::IncorrectPassword)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Decode the credentials from the header
+///
+/// These are the credentials added to the `Authorization` or `Proxy-Authorization` header value by
+/// the client.
+///
+/// This is a reversal of `encode_credentials`.
+///
+/// The realm is the realm that was set in the request, This is used to calculate the digest if
+/// needed but can be ignored otherwise.
+#[cfg(feature = "server")]
+pub fn decode_credentials(
+    realm: &str,
+    header_value: &str,
+) -> Result<PlaintextCredentials, AuthError> {
+    use base64::Engine as _;
+    let encoded = header_value
+        .strip_prefix(PREFIX)
+        .ok_or(AuthError::IncorrectScheme)?
+        .trim();
+    let decoded = base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD
+        .decode(encoded)
+        .map_err(|_| AuthError::MalformedRequest)?;
+    let decoded = String::from_utf8(decoded).map_err(|_| AuthError::MalformedRequest)?;
+    decoded
+        .split_once(":")
+        .map(|(username, password)| PlaintextCredentials {
+            username: username.to_string(),
+            realm: realm.to_string(),
+            password: password.to_string(),
+        })
+        .ok_or(AuthError::MalformedRequest)
+}
+
 /// Client for a `Basic` challenge, as in
 /// [RFC 7617](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7617).
 ///
@@ -67,6 +143,38 @@ impl BasicClient {
     }
 }
 
+/// Server side support for a `Basic` challenge, as in
+/// [RFC 7617](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7617).
+#[cfg(feature = "server")]
+pub struct BasicServer {
+    realm: Box<str>,
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "server")]
+impl BasicServer {
+    /// Creates a new client for issuing challenges and verifying responses.
+    pub fn new(realm: String) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            realm: realm.into(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Issues the challenge for the given client
+    ///
+    /// This should be included by the server in the `WWW-Authenticate` header of a 401 response or
+    /// the `Proxy-Authenticate` header in a 407 response.
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn challenge(&self) -> String {
+        format!("{}realm={}", PREFIX, self.realm)
+    }
+
+    /// Parses the password
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn parse_response(&self, response: &str) -> Result<PlaintextCredentials, AuthError> {
+        decode_credentials(self.realm.as_ref(), response)
+    }
+}
+
 impl TryFrom<&ChallengeRef<'_>> for BasicClient {
     type Error = String;
 
@@ -95,7 +203,7 @@ mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
     #[test]
-    fn basic() {
+    fn basic_respond() {
         // Example from https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7617#section-2
         let ctx = BasicClient {
             realm: "WallyWorld".into(),
@@ -113,3 +221,49 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(ctx.respond("test", "123\u{A3}"), "Basic dGVzdDoxMjPCow==");
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+#[cfg(feature = "server")]
+mod server_tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::ChallengeParser;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn basic_round_trip() {
+        let server = BasicServer {
+            realm: "foo".into(),
+        };
+        let challenge = server.challenge();
+        let mut challenge_parser = ChallengeParser::new(challenge.as_str());
+        let challenge_ref = challenge_parser
+            .next()
+            .expect("Missing ChallengeRef")
+            .expect("Malformed ChallengeRef");
+        let client = BasicClient::try_from(&challenge_ref).expect("Challenge should be basic");
+        assert_eq!(client.realm, server.realm);
+
+        let response = client.respond("AzureDiamond", "hunter2");
+        let credentials = server
+            .parse_response(response.as_str())
+            .expect("Failed to parse credentials");
+        assert_eq!(credentials.username, "AzureDiamond", "username");
+        assert_eq!(credentials.password, "hunter2", "password");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn fail_to_parse() {
+        let server = BasicServer {
+            realm: "foo".into(),
+        };
+
+        assert!(server.parse_response("Does not start with Basic").is_err());
+        assert!(server
+            .parse_response("Basic Invalid Base64 encoded string")
+            .is_err());
+        use base64::Engine as _;
+        let mut buf = String::new();
+        base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD
+            .encode_string("not username colon password", &mut buf);
+        assert!(server.parse_response(&buf).is_err());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/credentials.rs b/src/credentials.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7fb0382
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/credentials.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 George Bargoud <george@bargoud.nyc> & Scott Lamb <slamb@slamb.org>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+
+use crate::digest::Algorithm;
+use crate::errors::AuthError;
+
+/// The user that a given set of Credentials are for.
+///
+/// For digest auth, this may be hashed.
+pub enum User {
+    Username(String),
+    #[cfg(feature = "digest-scheme")]
+    UserHash(String, Algorithm),
+}
+
+/// The credentials received from the user that can be used for verification
+pub trait Credentials {
+    /// The user that these credentials are for.
+    fn get_user(&self) -> User;
+
+    /// Whether these credentials match the given plaintext username and password
+    fn equals_plaintext(&self, username: &str, password: &str) -> Result<(), AuthError>;
+
+    /// Whether these credentials match the given digest which was made with the given algorithm.
+    ///
+    /// This function allows servers to store the digest in their database in the place of plaintext
+    /// passwords and then use that for authentication.
+    ///
+    /// The digest should be a hash of "username:realm:password" where realm is the realm that was
+    /// sent in the HTTP auth request.
+    ///
+    /// The algorithm is the one that was used to calculate the digest. If using digest auth, then
+    /// this must match the algorithm in the request.
+    #[cfg(feature = "digest-scheme")]
+    fn equals_digest(&self, digest: &str, algorithm: &Algorithm) -> Result<(), AuthError>;
+}
diff --git a/src/digest.rs b/src/digest.rs
index 3130258..550d0e2 100644
--- a/src/digest.rs
+++ b/src/digest.rs
@@ -608,7 +608,7 @@ impl Algorithm {
     }
 
     #[inline(never)]
-    fn h(&self, items: &[&[u8]]) -> String {
+    pub(crate) fn h(&self, items: &[&[u8]]) -> String {
         match self {
             Algorithm::Md5 => h(md5::Md5::new(), items),
             Algorithm::Sha256 => h(sha2::Sha256::new(), items),
diff --git a/src/errors.rs b/src/errors.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..736765a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/errors.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 George Bargoud <george@bargoud.nyc> & Scott Lamb <slamb@slamb.org>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+
+
+/// The errors that can occur when parsing the response server side
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub enum AuthError {
+    /// The parser used did not match the scheme
+    IncorrectScheme,
+    /// The request was malformed in some way
+    MalformedRequest,
+    /// The password was not correct for the user.
+    IncorrectPassword,
+}
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 4c15995..85fdf4a 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -88,6 +88,11 @@ pub mod digest;
 
 mod table;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "server")]
+pub mod errors;
+#[cfg(feature = "server")]
+pub mod credentials;
+
 pub use parser::ChallengeParser;
 
 #[cfg(feature = "basic-scheme")]
@@ -185,7 +190,7 @@ impl std::fmt::Debug for ParamsPrinter<'_> {
 /// ## Example
 ///
 #[cfg_attr(
-    feature = "digest",
+    feature = "digest-scheme",
     doc = r##"
 ```rust
 use http_auth::PasswordClient;