Jos De Roo

Zenodo DOI numbering and redirects

This note explains the different numbers that appear around a Zenodo archive, using eyeling as the example.

The three important numbers

581706557

This is the GitHub repository ID used by Zenodo’s GitHub badge endpoint. It is not a DOI and not a Zenodo record number.

10.5281/zenodo.19068086

This is the Zenodo Concept DOI for the project. A Concept DOI represents the whole evolving archive: all versions together.

10.5281/zenodo.20123338

This is a Zenodo Version DOI. It identifies one exact archived release. In this case, it corresponds to the Zenodo record page:

https://zenodo.org/records/20123338

What happens when opening the Concept DOI

When opening:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19068086

the browser does not go directly to the final record page. The resolution chain is:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19068086
  302 → https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.19068086

https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.19068086
  302 → https://zenodo.org/records/20123338

https://zenodo.org/records/20123338
  200 OK

So doi.org first delegates the DOI to Zenodo. Then Zenodo resolves the Concept DOI to the latest version’s record page.

Why does `19068086` lead to `20123338`?

Because 19068086 is the all-versions Concept DOI. Zenodo makes Concept DOIs resolve to the latest version.

At the moment:

Concept DOI:  10.5281/zenodo.19068086
Latest page:  https://zenodo.org/records/20123338
Version DOI:  10.5281/zenodo.20123338

If a newer version is published later, the Concept DOI can resolve to a different /records/... page.

Which DOI should be used?

Use the Concept DOI when referring to the project as a whole:

[![DOI](https://img.shields.io/badge/DOI-10.5281%2Fzenodo.19068086-blue.svg)](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19068086)

Use the Version DOI when referring to one exact archived release:

[![DOI](https://img.shields.io/badge/DOI-10.5281%2Fzenodo.20123338-blue.svg)](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20123338)

Quick rule

Concept DOI = stable DOI for the project / all versions
Version DOI = stable DOI for one exact release
Record URL  = Zenodo page for one specific version
GitHub ID   = repository number used by Zenodo badges

For a README badge, the Concept DOI is usually the best choice, because it keeps pointing to the latest archived release of the project.