Djehuty next steps: get involved and help us to grow!
Authors: Daniel Bangert, Gabriela Kuhn, Madeleine de Smaele
Djehuty is a repository system powering data repositories to share, preserve, cite, find and reuse research data and software. It is free and open source software, developed in-house for 4TU.ResearchData. It enables the creation and management of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data and software in the natural and engineering sciences (NES) domain, and facilitates making it available to others.
Djehuty perfectly expresses the strategic goals of 4TU.ResearchData [1], both as the basis for leading domain-specific infrastructure that supports a community and culture of FAIR data and software, as well as an example of partnership in development and impact. 4TU.ResearchData is therefore dedicated to the sustainable governance and maintenance of Djehuty, guiding the roadmap for future development as well as existing and new collaborations with the community at large.
Djehuty became available in 2022 and has since been in use for the 4TU.ResearchData repository [2] and, from 2024, by the Nikhef institutional repository HADRON [3]. Future plans for Djehuty include enhancing its functionalities through a new project on Enabling FAIR for AI [4], funded by Open Science NL.
We are grateful to everyone who has contributed since 2022, and in particular to Roel Janssen, the main author of the Djehuty codebase. The codebase is openly available and over 20 people from its broad community have already made valuable contributions. Building on this, we have recently consolidated the structure and communication of our development planning and collaborations. Development plans, issue tracking, and code changes are hosted on GitHub [5], where anyone can follow or participate. We hope that this further strengthens and facilitates contributions from the community and fosters adoption in new contexts and by more institutions.
A call to the community
We are excited to take the next step and invite new contributors to bring fresh ideas and help us continue to grow. However you would like to contribute – whether by reporting or fixing bugs, refining or adding functionality, or contributing domain‑specific insights – your contribution matters!
Active community participation is essential for addressing the specific needs of the NES domain, sustaining meaningful innovation, and creating a thriving ecosystem of FAIR data and software.
The resources listed here will help you to get up and running:
Need some help getting started with Djehuty or have questions about the codebase? Please reach out to us at djehuty@4tu.nl
We look forward to working with you and building a vibrant and inclusive community!
References and links
- 4TU.ResearchData Strategy 2025-2029: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14176780
- 4TU.ResearchData repository: https://data.4tu.nl
- Nikhef institutional repository HADRON: https://archive.nikhef.nl
- 4TU.ResearchData involved in new projects to strengthen open science infrastructure https://community.data.4tu.nl/2026/02/13/4tu-researchdata-involved-in-new-projects-to-strengthen-open-science-infrastructure/
- Djehuty GitHub: https://github.com/4TUResearchData/djehuty
