What we're solving
NIH RAS is an authentication and authorization service provided by the NIH Center for Information Technology. NIH RAS was developed to facilitate access to NIH’s open and controlled data assets and repositories in a consistent, secure, and user-friendly manner.
Terra, as the host of AnVIL data, enforces access controls for many NIH controlled access datasets. The old system of enforcing access controls, relying on dbGaP telemetry files, is brittle, error-prone, and a cause of poor user experience. RAS provides an opportunity, via the GA4GH Passports standard, to provide an access control mechanism that is stable, more secure, and compliant with modern security practices.
What's changing for you
Updates to NIH authorization requirements As part of new federal government security policies, Terra is required to integrate with the NIH Researcher Authentication Service (RAS) for identity proofing and enhanced security.
In order to link your NIH authorization to Terra users of eRA Commons must transition to the use of Login.gov or ID.me credentials to access AnVIL data. This adds two additional steps to the process of linking your external identity to Terra - 1) Setting up a Login.gov or ID.me account and 2) Linking your Login.gov or ID.me account to your eRA Commons account. See step-by-step instructions below.
For more background, see Transitioning to and using Login.gov.
Step 1: Set up a Login.gov or ID.me account
You will need a Login.gov or ID.me account before you can link your external NIH identity to Terra.
Step-by-step instructions
- If you already have a Login.gov or ID.me account, you can skip this step. NOTE: You may be asked to verify or re-verify your identity depending on the current state of your account.
- To create a new account, follow the steps in Create your Login.gov account or Create your ID.me account. This will require setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA) and verifying your identity. NOTE: Identity verification for Login.gov accounts require a U.S.-issued ID. For this reason, non-U.S./international researchers should use ID.me.
Step 2: Link your eRA and Login.gov or ID.me accounts
Linking your eRA account to your Login.gov or ID.me account will maintain your access to your dbGaP studies in Terra and TDR.
Two separate accounts are now required for NIH authorization
- An eRA Commons User ID and password
- A Login.gov or ID.me account with its own separate User ID and password
After setting up Login.gov or ID.me, you will still need to know and maintain your eRA Commons account credentials (and change the password once per year), but you will use Login.gov or ID.me credentials to log in and link your external NIH identity to Terra.
Step-by-step instructions
- Go to the NIH Linked Identities Settings page
- Log in with your Login.gov or ID.me account
- Link your Login.gov or ID.me account with your eRA account
Once linked, your Linked Identities page should look similar to this:
Step 3: Link with NIH RAS external identity on Terra
With a Login.gov or ID.me account and a linked eRA Commons account, you can now link your external NIH identity to Terra to access AnVIL data.
Step-by-step instructions
- Go to your Profile > External Identities page on Terra
- Click Log In To RAS within the NIH Researcher Auth Service Section (RAS) section
- Log in with your Login.gov or ID.me account
Once linked, your External Identities page should look similar to this:
NOTE: It may take a few seconds for Terra to synchronize with RAS. If your eRA Commons ID shows as none or your Resource authorizations appear empty, try refreshing the page.
If that does not resolve the issue, click the Manage your linked identities link, which will take you to the NIH Linked Identities Settings page in Step 2 above and validate you have linked your eRA account to your Login.gov or ID.me account.
If you linked your RAS account prior to linking your eRA Commons ID, please Renew your RAS link.
Try it out
This functionality was released for all users on March 25, 2026. It is now required to link your Terra account with RAS on your profile's external identities page and your eRA account must be linked to a Login.gov or ID.me account to access to AnVIL's controlled datasets using dbGaP. Once linked, Terra will use your RAS passport to determine what data you are authorized to access.