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dataLOFT documentation

dataLOFT is a privacy-preserving data discovery and sharing platform built on the Gaia-X Trust Framework and the IDSA Dataspace Protocol. It enables data providers and consumers to exchange data under explicit contractual agreements, with optional consent-based access control by individual data owners.

The platform is federated. There is no central authority. Participants discover each other through a shared catalogue, negotiate contracts directly, and exchange data under agreed terms.

Where to start

New to the platform? Start with Getting started to understand the service landscape and find the right entry point for your goal.

Building a data service? The Build a data service guide explains how to implement the gRPC provider interface and connect your service to RUN-DSP.

Joining the dataspace? The Onboard to the federated catalogue guide walks you through participant registration and publishing a service offering.

Understanding the architecture? The architecture documentation follows the arc42 template and covers all components, runtime flows, deployment, and design decisions.

Platform overview

The platform is split into two tiers:

Management Services form the control plane. These services handle identity verification, catalogue discovery, contract negotiation, and data transfer coordination. They are operated by a federator and used by all participants.

Service Role
RUN-DSP Core connector: implements the IDSA Dataspace Protocol as provider and consumer
FC-Service Federated catalogue: stores participant self-descriptions and service offerings
Signature-Auth-Handler Validates DPoP tokens and verifies FC-Service membership
HST-DID Hosts did:web documents derived from Let's Encrypt certificates
Reference Contract Service Manages contract state transitions (reference implementation)
rdsp-s3 Reference provider backend: exposes S3-stored files as datasets

Data Services form the data plane. They are built on top of management services by data providers. r-squared is the reference data service, demonstrating ECG data sharing using the platform.

Source repositories

The platform source is split across two Codeberg organisations:

Documentation sections