Password-protected feeds: follow the private feeds of online tools, paid services and private trackers

Not every feed is public. Online issue trackers, paid services and private forums put their feeds behind a login. Inoreader asks for the username and password once and then follows these feeds like any other.

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ProPassword-protected feeds are part of the Pro plan.

What it does

Many of the most useful feeds are not public. Think of an issue tracker or a wiki your team uses online, a hosted continuous integration service, a paid research or news service, or a private forum or torrent tracker. These feeds answer with a login prompt, and most readers stop there. When Inoreader first meets the prompt, it asks you for the username and password, stores them for that feed and polls the feed like any other. Your private sources then sit in your sidebar next to the public ones, with the same folders, filters, rules and search. The feed only needs to be reachable from the internet, because Inoreader fetches it from its own servers.

How it works

Open Add feed and paste the feed's address.
When Inoreader reports that the feed needs a login, enter the username and password the feed expects.
Follow the feed. From now on, Inoreader polls it with those credentials.
If the credentials rotate, change them in the feed's settings. To delete them, unfollow the feed.

What people use it for

Engineering feeds

Follow the online issue trackers, wikis and build services your team signs in to, so they reach the people who need to know.

Paid information services

Follow the research, legal and financial services that deliver their updates as protected feeds.

Private communities

Follow the forums and trackers that give their members a feed behind a login.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which kind of protection is supported?

HTTP Basic and Digest authentication are supported. This is the login that the browser asks for in a small dialog before the page shows. Feeds behind a web form or a session cookie are not supported. A feed that puts a token in its address needs no credentials at all.

Can I follow a feed on my company's internal network?

No. Inoreader fetches every feed from its own servers, so the feed must be reachable from the public internet. A feed on a private network, such as a company intranet, cannot be reached even with the right username and password. A tool that is hosted online and only asks for a login works.

How do I add one?

Paste the feed address into Add feed. When Inoreader finds that the feed is protected, it asks for the username and password and then follows the feed as usual.

Where are the credentials used?

Only when Inoreader polls that feed. They are sent to that address and nowhere else. You can change them or remove the feed at any time.

Is it only for RSS?

No. It works with any feed format Inoreader reads, which means RSS, Atom and JSON Feed, as long as the feed is behind that kind of login.

Do the articles behave like other articles?

Yes. You can read, search, tag, filter and automate them like the articles of any other feed. Whether they may be shared outside your account is for you and the publisher to decide.

Why is it Pro?

Protected feeds are polled for a single subscriber and need their own handling. They are included in the Pro plan together with the other private sources, which are newsletters, web feeds and social feeds.