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Adapters

An Adapter is a software component (typically a library, wrapper, or connector) that helps a service interact with EOSC services or implement EOSC interoperability guidelines.

Adapters typically:

  • Wrap EOSC APIs
  • Simplify integration with EOSC services
  • Translate between standards or metadata formats
  • Provide client libraries for common programming languages
  • Implement functionality aligned with EOSC Interoperability Framework (IF) Guidelines

Examples include:

  • Python or Java wrappers for EOSC service APIs
  • Metadata translators (e.g., between EOSC profiles and DCAT)
  • Libraries for publishing monitoring or accounting metrics

Adapters are optional components: EOSC services must remain usable without them.

Adapters are created at the Providers Dashboard, and offered through the Discovery Hub.

Before publishing an Adapter, ensure it satisfies the following requirements. Those requirements are represented as mandatory fields in the Providers Dashboard publication workflow.

Open Source

Adapters must be open-source software.

Recommended licenses include:

The license must be clearly declared in the repository.

Public Code Repository

The Adapter source code must be available in a public repository, for example:

  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Bitbucket
  • Institutional repositories

The repository should contain:

  • Source code
  • README documentation
  • License file
  • Usage instructions
  • Release information

Documentation

Each Adapter must provide clear documentation, including:

  • Description of the Adapter
  • Target EOSC service(s)
  • Associated EOSC Interoperability Guideline
  • Installation instructions
  • Example usage
  • API documentation (if applicable)

Documentation is typically provided in the repository README or a documentation website (eg, RTD).

Every Adapter are be associated with an EOSC Interoperability Framework (IF) Guideline.

The guideline defines:

  • the interface
  • the protocol
  • the interoperability rule implemented by the Adapter

In case a suitable Guideline is not yet available, you can associate your Adapter with its respective EOSC Service.