Logging In & Authentication

How to Log In

Navigate to the login page. Enter your registered email address and password, then click the login button.

Email + Password Authentication

DigitVA uses email and password authentication. There are no third-party login providers (such as Google or GitHub). Your email address is your unique account identifier.

  • Email addresses are case-insensitive during login.
  • Your password is never stored in plaintext. It is hashed using a secure one-way algorithm.
  • If you have forgotten your password, use the Password Reset flow.

Email Verification Required

You cannot log in until your email address has been verified. When an administrator creates your account, DigitVA sends a verification link to your email address. You must click that link before you can authenticate.

Unverified accounts are blocked at login. If you see the message "Please verify your email address before logging in," check your inbox and spam folder for the verification email. You can also request a new verification link from the Resend Verification page.

Rate Limiting

Login attempts are rate-limited to protect against brute-force attacks:

Limit Scope Applies To
10 requests per minute Per IP address POST requests to the login endpoint
20 requests per hour Per email address POST requests to the login endpoint

If you exceed these limits, you will be temporarily unable to submit login attempts. Wait a few minutes and try again.

Remember Me

The login page includes a "Remember Me" checkbox. By default, your session lasts 30 minutes. If you check "Remember Me," a persistent login cookie is set that keeps you logged in for 30 days, even across browser restarts.

Tip: On shared or public computers, do not check "Remember Me." Always log out explicitly using the logout option when you are finished.

Automatic Redirect After Login

After a successful login, DigitVA automatically redirects you to the dashboard appropriate for your role:

  • Admin → Admin Dashboard (/admin)
  • Coder → Coder Dashboard (/coding)
  • Reviewer → Reviewer Dashboard (/reviewing)
  • Data Manager → Data Manager Dashboard (/data-management)
  • Site PI → Site PI Dashboard (/sitepi)

If you were redirected to the login page from a specific URL (for example, a bookmarked coding page), you will be returned to that URL after login instead.

Site Maintenance Mode

Administrators can enable site maintenance mode. When maintenance is active:

  • Admin users can still log in normally.
  • All other users are blocked from logging in and see a message: "Site is under maintenance. Only admin login is allowed right now."

A maintenance notice banner is also displayed on the login page when maintenance is active, showing any message the administrator has configured.

Note: If you see a maintenance message and you are not an administrator, wait for the maintenance window to end. Contact your project administrator for details on the maintenance schedule.

First Sign-In and Terms

New users receive a generated password by email after verifying their email (or, for mobile-only accounts, by redeeming a sign-in code). Nobody chooses their own password. After your first login, DigitVA asks you to accept terms and conditions before you can access any dashboard. You are asked again after every password reset.

See Password Reset for how to get a new password.