Django authentication backend using a Magento API

magento.py

from django.contrib.auth.models import User
from magento import Customer
import hashlib
import random

# Requires magento - http://pypi.python.org/pypi/magento
# Note proper use of HTTP/HTTPS for your setup
# If you run multiple stores, set STORE_ID and WEBSITE_ID as-needed or adapt to your setup

class Magento:
    URL = "https://127.0.0.1/"
    USERNAME = 'MAGENTO_API_USER'
    PASSWORD = 'MAGENTO_API_USER_PASSWORD'
    STORE_ID = 1
    WEBSITE_ID = 1
    FORGOT_URL = '%scustomer/account/forgotpasswordpost/' % (URL)

    def authenticate(self, username=None, password=None):        

        with Customer(self.URL, self.USERNAME, self.PASSWORD) as customer_api:
            cust = customer_api.list({'email': {'eq': username}, 'store_id': {'eq': self.STORE_ID}})

        if len(cust) == 1:
            (hash_pass, salt) = cust[0]['password_hash'].split(':')
            ph = '%s%s' % (salt, password)
            ph = hashlib.md5(ph).hexdigest()
            if ph == hash_pass:
                try:
                    user = User.objects.get(username=username)
                except User.DoesNotExist:
                    user = User(username=username, password=random.getrandbits(128))
                    user.first_name = cust[0]['firstname']
                    user.last_name = cust[0]['lastname']
                    user.email = cust[0]['email']
                    user.is_staff = False
                    user.is_superuser = False
                    user.save()
                return user
            else:
                return None
        else:
            return None

    def get_user(self, user_id):
        try:
            return User.objects.get(pk=user_id)
        except User.DoesNotExist:
            return None

    @staticmethod
    def create_user(user_dict):
        """ user_dict: Expects firstname, lastname, email, password """
        with Customer(Magento.URL, Magento.USERNAME, Magento.PASSWORD) as customer_api:
            cust = customer_api.list({'email': {'eq': user_dict['email']}, 'store_id': {'eq': Magento.STORE_ID}})

        if len(cust) == 0:
            user_dict['website_id'] = Magento.WEBSITE_ID
            user_dict['store_id'] = Magento.STORE_ID
            with Customer(Magento.URL, Magento.USERNAME, Magento.PASSWORD) as customer_api:
                cust = customer_api.create(user_dict)

    @staticmethod
    def forgot_password(email):
        data = urllib.urlencode({'email':email})
        req = urllib2.Request(Magento.FORGOT_URL, data)
        urllib2.urlopen(req)