If you want to involve users in the creation and expansion of your database, you need some way for them to authenticate and log in. There are two main mechanisms for achieving this:

  1. Authentication and changes only happen at the level of the code that creates or serves the database or website. For example, you can require contributors to have an account on Github if you use it to host your code or website. This approach has the benefit of using the well developed collaboration tools available for software development.

  2. There is a mechanism for logging in to the website where the database is hosted. The most common model is that of a wiki, which provides an interface for multiple users to collaboratively edit text. Another example is the LMFDB’s knowls, which are edited directly on the website. The benefit of this approach is that changes are usually more immediately realized, allowing for an easier editing process.

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