OpenAthens is an advanced authentication system that provides seamless access to digital resources. It simplifies the login process for users, enabling them to access a wide range of library resources with a single set of credentials. By replacing traditional authentication methods like EZproxy, OpenAthens enhances security and user experience, making it easier to access academic articles, databases, and other online resources from anywhere.
We have created an automatic URL generator to help you convert EZproxy links to OpenAthens links. This tool removes the EZproxy prefix and Athenizes the link according to specific criteria.
The table below illustrates the difference between OpenAthens and EZproxy links. The prefix in each link serves the purpose of routing the authentication process. EZproxy uses a prefix to redirect the user through its proxy server for authentication, while OpenAthens uses a different prefix to perform the same function but through the OpenAthens system. The resource URL remains the same, but the athenized URL includes the respective prefix and encodes the base URL to ensure proper redirection and access.
EZproxy | OpenAthens | |
---|---|---|
Prefix | https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url= |
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/snhu.edu?url= |
Resource URL | https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00027642221086954 |
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00027642221086954 |
Proxied URL | https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00027642221086954 |
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/snhu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjournals.sagepub.com%2Fdoi%2Ffull%2F10.1177%2F00027642221086954 |
Certain resources do not require Athenization if they include an internal identifier in the URL; though, the links will still work when Athenized.
Note: The URL Generator has been configured to account for these exceptions.
&custid=shapiro&authtype=ip,shib
after direct=true
.https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&custid=shapiro&authtype=ip,shib&db=prf&AN=76534651&site=eds-live&scope=site
u=nhc_main
somewhere in the link.https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A778646552/ITOF?u=nhc_main&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a7e51268
aid=105049
somewhere in the link.https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6ODE3MzY5?q=kittens&aid=105049
/snhu/
somewhere in the link.https://www.kanopy.com/en/snhu/video/2931954
accountid=3783
somewhere in the link.
https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/featured-pets-kittens-frontier-animal-society/docview/2885397415/se-2?accountid=3783
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/snhu-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1441228
accountid=3783
somewhere in the link.
https://www.proquest.com/books/nurses-song/docview/2248565774/se-2?accountid=3783
A link to a database or resource that includes the OpenAthens prefix and has the base URL encoded.
Browsers handle URLs better when they are in ASCII format without special characters. An encoded URL replaces characters like / with %2F and : with %3A.
A link that includes the EZproxy prefix or has EZproxy information embedded to route authentication through EZproxy.
A link that contains EZproxy information within the link itself.
Example: https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu
The prefix added to a URL to route authentication through EZproxy.
Example: https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=
The prefix added to a URL to route authentication through OpenAthens.
Example: https://go.openathens.net/redirector/snhu.edu?url=