As described elsewhere (see Learn about Security and Auditing), in OpenEdge, authentication is the process of:

  • Ensuring that a user who accesses a software system is who they claim to be based on user credentials that they provide
  • Providing a secure and portable means of identification (a sealed security token) for a successfully authenticated user, so their identity can be recognized throughout the system
  • Validating this user identity in every component of the system before it can be used to authorize access to system features and data

OpenEdge provides a common authentication mechanism for all OpenEdge database clients, and the following topics describe the supported authentication operations. For a more detailed overview of how to configure and implement authentication, see Configuring and Implementing Authentication in OpenEdge.