Technical Specifications
Cloud or on-premises
21 CFR Part 11 ready
REST API in every tier
ELabELN at a glance.
| Specification | ELabELN |
|---|---|
| Product | ELabELN, electronic lab notebook |
| Vendor | LabLynx, Inc. |
| Editions | Standard, Suite |
| Hosting | AWS managed cloud, or on-premises via LabServer |
| Architecture | Containerized web application on a private dedicated cloud network per customer |
| Database | MySQL |
| Concurrent users | Unlimited on every plan |
| Authentication | SAML 2.0 SSO (Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, Shibboleth), LDAP, MFA |
| API | REST, included in every tier |
| Device support | Web (all modern browsers); responsive mobile and tablet |
| Uptime SLA | 99.9% |
| Backup | Hourly incremental, daily full, geo-redundant |
| Encryption | At rest (managed cloud) and in transit (TLS 1.2/1.3) |
| Export formats | PDF, ZIP, CSV, JSON, .eln (ELN Consortium) |
| Compliance frameworks | 21 CFR Part 11, GDPR, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 13485, GxP, ALCOA+, CAP/CLIA, FAIR, WCAG 2.1 |
Where ELabELN runs.
ELabELN runs as a containerized web application (Docker or Podman) on GNU/Linux, with MySQL as the database and a PHP application tier. Two deployment models are available, with full feature parity between them.
01Managed Cloud
LabLynx managed cloud on AWS
Each customer gets a private dedicated cloud network rather than a shared multi-tenant pool, so one customer's load and failure domain are isolated from every other's. LabLynx operates the environment end-to-end: patching, monitoring, backup, and disaster recovery.
02On Premises
On-premises via LabServer
For labs with data residency, air-gap, or institutional hosting requirements. The customer provides a Linux host, and LabLynx provides the software, configuration support, and ongoing updates.
Security across every layer.
Security spans the network, the application, and the operations layer. Four areas, each with named standards.
01Encryption in transit
TLS 1.2/1.3, enforced everywhere.
All traffic enforced over HTTPS with TLS 1.2 or 1.3. Mixed-content blocked, HTTP requests redirected to HTTPS.
02Encryption at rest
Encrypted in the managed cloud.
Included in the managed cloud deployment. On-premises inherits the customer's storage encryption posture, with configuration guidance from LabLynx.
03Application hardening
Protected against the common attack patterns.
Protections against CSRF, XSS, and brute-force login. Local accounts use salted SHA-512 password hashing when SSO isn't in use.
04Operational security
sciCloud.studio runs the operations layer.
The LabLynx Dev/Sec/Ops layer runs continuous monitoring, alerting, and automated provisioning across managed-cloud deployments.
Who gets in, and what they see.
ELabELN is designed for the access realities of modern research labs: multi-PI groups, core facilities serving many user labs, and contract operations with strict separation between client engagements. Authentication is integrated with institutional identity systems, and access inside the notebook scopes down to the project, sample, and entry level.
01Single Sign-On & Identity
SAML 2.0, LDAP, and MFA.
SAML 2.0 SSO via LabLynx OpenSocial, with production deployments tested against Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, and Shibboleth. LDAP is supported alongside or instead of SAML for on-premises and hybrid setups. Multi-factor authentication can be enforced at the identity provider or at the ELabELN authentication layer.
02Access Control Inside the Notebook
Project, sample, and entry-level scoping.
Access control is granular at three levels, so a multi-PI lab or core facility can scope visibility per group without exposing other teams' records. Role assignments can be driven from SSO group memberships, so adding or removing a researcher in the institutional identity system propagates to ELabELN automatically.
Built to keep your record intact.
Research records are only as durable as the infrastructure underneath them. ELabELN runs on a private dedicated cloud network per customer with hourly incremental backups, daily full backups replicated to geographically redundant data centers, and automatic failover, so the work captured today is still there when a grant audit asks about it five years from now.
| Metric | ELabELN |
|---|---|
| Uptime SLA | 99.9%, measured monthly excluding scheduled maintenance. |
| Incremental backups | Hourly. |
| Full backups | Daily, replicated to geographically redundant data centers. |
| Failover | Automatic, within the customer's dedicated cloud network. |
| Data residency | Customer-configurable AWS region. |
| Disaster recovery | Documented SOPs, exercised by LabLynx operations. |
| RTO, RPO, and retention | Documented in the master services agreement, since the right values depend on the deployment. |
Built for the lab you have, ready for the one you're growing into.
| Metric | ELabELN |
|---|---|
| Concurrent users | Unlimited on every plan; horizontally scalable in the managed cloud. |
| Sample and inventory records | Scaled to enterprise volumes without performance degradation. |
| File attachment size | Standard limits configurable per deployment to match research data realities. |
| Total storage | Managed cloud scales elastically; on-premises bounded by customer hardware. |
| Search performance | Full-text search across notebook entries returns near-instantly at production scale. |
| Scaling model | Application tier auto-scales in the managed cloud; database tier sized per deployment. |
Connect ELabELN to the rest of your stack.
The lab informatics stack is rarely a single product. ELabELN is designed to live alongside the LIMS, the ERP, the billing system, the instruments, and the identity provider already in place. Three layers of integration are available, depending on how deep the connection needs to go.
01REST API
Included in every edition.
02Integration Patterns
What labs typically connect.
03Suite Integration
Deeper integration through the platform.
For tighter integration than the API alone can deliver, the ELabELN Suite adds LabVia for direct instrument connectivity, LabDrive for file-level provenance linking instrument output to entries, and LabVista for cross-system analytics. See the Suite page for details.
Your records, exportable on your terms.
ELabELN supports the ELN Consortium .eln file format, which means a lab leaving ELabELN can take its records to any other ELN that supports the consortium standard. The lab owns its records, not LabLynx. Below are the supported export formats and what each is typically used for.
| Format | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Human-readable archives, regulatory submissions, signed-record exports. | |
| ZIP | Full notebook backups including attachments and metadata. |
| CSV | Tabular export for downstream analysis and reporting. |
| JSON | Programmatic export for integration with downstream systems. |
| .eln (ELN Consortium) | Cross-vendor portability; export to any ELN supporting the consortium standard. |
| Audit trail export | Full audit trail in CSV or JSON for regulatory submissions and reviews. |
A complete .eln export includes entries, attachments, metadata, signatures, and audit trail. ELabELN does not hold your records hostage.
Designed to support the frameworks your lab is accredited under.
ELabELN is designed to support the regulatory frameworks accredited labs work under. Compliance is achieved by the lab through its quality system; what the product provides is the audit trail, electronic signatures, record immutability, and validation documentation each framework requires of the system.
- 21 CFR Part 11. Audit trail, e-signatures, and record immutability.
- EU GDPR. Encryption, access control, and audit logging.
- ISO/IEC 17025. Testing and calibration laboratory documentation.
- ISO 13485. Medical device design history and verification records.
- GxP (GLP, GMP, GCP). Data integrity, e-signatures, audit trail.
- ALCOA+. Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, Accurate, plus Complete, Consistent, Enduring, Available.
- CAP / CLIA. Clinical laboratory recordkeeping.
- FAIR principles. Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reproducible.
- WCAG 2.1 / RGAA v4. Web and French accessibility standards.
Get the rest of the platform with ELabELN Suite.
ELabELN
The experimental record, templates, samples, signatures.
LabDrive
Files, datasets, documents with metadata and versioning.
LabVia
Instrument connectivity, raw data capture, anomaly detection.
LabVista
Cross-system dashboards, reports, lineage.
Standalone ELabELN is built to grow with your lab. When the notebook isn't enough, the Suite is already there.
Works where your scientists work.
ELabELN runs in the browser, with responsive support for tablets and mobile devices.
| Category | Support |
|---|---|
| Supported browsers | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari (current and previous major versions). |
| Mobile responsiveness | Full responsive UI; touch-optimized for tablets and phones. |
| Tablet experience | Optimized for iPad and Android tablets. |
| Screen reader support | WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliant. |
From signed contract to running lab in weeks, not quarters.
An ELabELN implementation is a partnership, not a software install. LabLynx walks the lab through provisioning, configuration, training, and the transition to ongoing operation. The first 90 days are structured to take the lab from contract signature to a running notebook used in daily work.
01Days 1-30
Setup and configuration.
Tenant provisioning, identity-provider integration, initial configuration to the lab's workflow, sample and template imports, and user account creation. By the end of this phase, the platform is ready for the lab's first users.
02Days 31-60
Training and adoption.
Live training for administrators and end users, workflow walkthroughs, template customization sessions, and integration with existing instruments and systems. The lab moves from setup to active use.
03Days 61-90
Optimization and handoff.
Workflow tuning based on real usage, validation documentation finalization for regulated deployments, and transition to the ongoing support relationship.
Ongoing support includes defined response time SLAs, a dedicated customer success contact, regular release cycles, and a clear escalation path for production issues. The relationship is built for the long horizon research records require.
Built for the long term, by a company built for the long term.
Research records have lifetimes measured in grant cycles, regulatory retention periods, and citations decades later. The vendor needs to match that horizon. LabLynx is structured to support customers across that timeline, with open standards, no vendor lock-in, and independent ownership built on relationships rather than exit timelines.
01Independent since 1997
Same leadership, same mission.
LabLynx has been continuously operated by the same leadership since 1997. No private equity acquisition. No venture capital exit timeline. The customer base is built on relationships measured in years and decades.
02Open Standards
No proprietary lock-in formats.
ELN Consortium .eln file format. SAML 2.0. REST. RFC 3161 trusted timestamping. ALCOA+ data integrity. FAIR principles for research data. The standards that the broader ecosystem agrees on are the standards ELabELN is built on.
03No Vendor Lock-In
Your records leave with you.
Full data export at any time. Cross-vendor portability through the .eln format, including entries, attachments, metadata, signatures, and audit trail. The lab owns its records, not LabLynx.
04Long-Term Commitment
Matched to the research horizon.
Research records have lifetimes measured in decades. The platform supporting them needs to be operated on the same horizon. LabLynx is structured to be that platform.
See ELabELN under the hood.
A 30-minute walkthrough with a LabLynx expert. Bring the questions you would ask in a security review or an RFP response, the architecture, the authentication standards, the audit trail, the export formats, and we will answer them on the call. No slide deck.
Questions, answered.
Common questions from IT, security reviewers, validation leads, and procurement teams evaluating ELabELN. If a question isn't here, the demo answers it.