Skip to content

IAM4NFDI Logo

Edu ID Proxy#

The DFN edu-ID is an upcoming service that utilizes a proxy-based architecture, distinct from the IAM4NFDI project. It aims to provide a lifelong, self-managed digital identity specifically designed for research and higher education. One of its key features is the provision of an immutable persistent identifier, which addresses the challenge of “Researcher Mobility.”

This service facilitates attribute aggregation and account linking from various sources, including Home Identity Providers (IdPs), ORCID, and MyAccessID. Additionally, there are plans to integrate it into the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Authentication and Authorization Infrastructure (AAI) Federation. The DFN edu-ID can also serve as a Central Guest IdP, further enhancing its utility within the academic community.

NFDI Infrastructure Proxy and Edu ID Proxy#

In order to provide a life-long digital researcher identity and to prevent the generation of duplicate/competing identities at the lower end, depending on which Home IdP and/or CAAI is used to access a service behind the NFDI Infrastructure Proxy, the NFDI-AAI relies on the edu-ID Proxy. Once linked with one (or possibly more) Home IdP(s), the edu-ID Proxy acts as a kind of relay that passes through the user information provided by a Home IdP to a Community AAI - and from the CAAI to the Infrastructure Proxy and its connected services. This data is supplemented by the said identifier and may be further enriched with information from accounts linked to the edu-ID system, such as the ORCID.

For more information go to DFN pages and the wiki page.

Error Messages#

Error messages are very often due to the fact that both the configuration of the Infrastructure Proxy and that of the connected Community AAIs were based on the ideal image described above, which assumes the chain: Home IdP -> edu-ID Proxy -> Community AAI -> Infra Proxy -> Service

Due to the fact that the edu-ID Proxy just started as a pilot, this model currently only works for a very small group of users. For this reason, we’re are currently working on a flow that also works without the edu-ID Proxy intermediate step.

Contact information#

Last change: May 20, 2025 10:09:25