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arocapi
These docs describe arocapi v5, which is in beta. Install it with pnpm add arocapi@beta.

Where it fits in CrateWorks

arocapi is part of CrateWorks, a workbench of open-source tools for research data described with RO-Crate. Every tool in it reads or writes RO-Crates, so you can combine them at whichever stage of the data journey you need.

The layers

Section titled “The layers”

CrateWorks splits a repository into layers, and arocapi is the API layer in the middle:

flowchart TB
  portals["Data portals<br/>Oni, static sites"] --> api
  workspaces["Workspaces<br/>annotation, preparation"] --> api
  api["RO-Crate API<br/>served by arocapi"] --> storage
  storage["Storage layer<br/>OCFL, object storage, plain directories"]
  • Storage layer. Your RO-Crates live somewhere durable: an OCFL store, object storage or a plain directory tree. arocapi doesn’t prescribe one. A storage backend fetches metadata and files from it, as described in Storage.
  • API layer. The RO-Crate API is an implementation-neutral HTTP specification for discovering and reading RO-Crate archives, so the same client can talk to any conforming repository. arocapi is a reference implementation of it that you mount in your own Fastify app.
  • Portals and workspaces. Clients use the API to browse, search and download. They don’t need to know how the repository stores its data.
Section titled “Related tools”
Tool What it is How it relates to arocapi
RO-Crate API The HTTP specification for serving RO-Crate archives. arocapi implements it.
Oni A configuration-driven discovery portal for RO-Crate archives. Browses and searches any arocapi-backed repository.
Collection Downloader Picks files across a collection and emails a zip. Another client for RO-Crate collections.
RaspboCrate A field catalogue manager on a Raspberry Pi. Bundles an RO-Crate API with plain-directory storage.
Bowerbird Browses an RO-Crate archive from index.html, with no server. An alternative for offline or cold storage, where no API runs.
RO-Crate Static Site Builds a static website from an RO-Crate. Publishes a single crate without an API.
Cockatiel Local-first audio annotation in the browser. A workspace tool that produces data you might archive.

The full list, with the projects behind them, is on the CrateWorks workbench.

arocapi is designed around the PILARS protocols for long-term archival repositories.