Grouper is an open source toolkit for managing groups. It is designed to function as the core element of a common infrastructure for managing group information across integrated applications and repositories. Grouper combines multiple sources of group information, both automated and manual, in managing memberships and other group information in a Group Registry, a central information asset complementary to a site's Person Registry.

Groups are created and named within folders. Group management authority can be limited and delegated by folder or group, and folders may themselves be arranged in a hierarchy.

In addition to basic group management and search capabilities, Grouper's design includes support for:

• Subgroups
• Composite groups (determined by the union, intersection, or subtraction of other groups)
• Customizable groups for specific purposes
• Delegation and auditable access management
• Integrates with most identity management systems
• Fully accessible by web services

Additional Information

• Grouper Information Sheet Overview (PDF)
• Case Studies:
  • Brown University (pdf)
  • Duke University (pdf)
  • GIP RECIA (France) (pdf)
  • Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) (pdf) NEW
  • Newcastle University (pdf)
  • Northern Arizona University (pdf) NEW
• Grouper Benefits
• Grouper Presentation (Access Management with Grouper)
• Grouper Integration Diagram
• License: Grouper, as of version 0.9, is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license. See http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html for a copy of this license.
• NSF SDCI (Software Developent for CyberInfrastructure) "Bedrock" Award

Acknowledgments

The Grouper core development team includes:

• Tom Barton, University of Chicago (project lead)
• Gary Brown, University of Bristol (UK)
• Chris Hyzer, University of Pennsylvania
• Shilen Patel, Duke University
• Tom Zeller, University of Memphis, Unicon
• Emily Eisbruch, Renee Frost, Steve Olshansky, Ann West, Dean Woodbeck (Internet2 staff support)

Development of the Grouper Group Management Toolkit was supported with funding from University of Chicago and the University of Bristol with additional support from Internet2 through their NSF Middleware Initiative (Cooperative Agreements No. OCI-0330626, OCI-0721896, and OCI-1032468) and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).