CKAN

Company Details

Category

GovTech

Headquarters

London, United Kingdom

Data Hosting

EU Selectable

Open Source

Yes

Pricing

free

Website

https://ckan.org

About CKAN

CKAN is the world’s leading open-source data management system (DMS) for powering data hubs and portals. Often described as the "WordPress for data," CKAN provides a powerful platform for cataloging, storing, and accessing datasets. It is designed to make data accessible and usable by providing tools to streamline publishing, sharing, finding, and using data. Originally developed by the Open Knowledge Foundation, CKAN has evolved into a global ecosystem supported by a dedicated community of developers, stewards, and users. It is a Digital Public Good, officially recognized by the United Nations for its role in helping tackle the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Key Features & Capabilities Data Publishing & Management: An intuitive web interface allows organizations to easily register, update, and refine datasets with high-quality metadata. Search & Discovery: Features a rich "Google-style" keyword search with faceted filtering by tags, format, license, and publisher, ensuring users find the data they need quickly. Powerful API: Every function in the web interface is available via a robust JSON API, allowing developers to build apps and automate data updates seamlessly. Data Visualization: Built-in tools allow users to preview structured data in tables, graphs, and interactive maps directly in the browser without downloading the files. Extensible Architecture: With over 200 community-developed extensions, CKAN can be customized for geospatial data (GIS), cloud storage integration (AWS, Azure), and advanced authentication (Active Directory/SSO). Data Federation: CKAN instances can "harvest" metadata from each other, allowing for the creation of massive federated networks of data portals. The Global Standard for Open Data CKAN is the backbone of public digital infrastructure worldwide. It powers hundreds of major portals, including: National Portals: Data.gov.au (Australia) and Open.canada.ca (Canada). European Infrastructure: The official European Union Data Portal (data.europa.eu) and various regional hubs like govdata.de (Germany) and dados.gov.br (Brazil). International Organizations: Used by the United Nations (UNOCHA), the World Bank, and the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX). Why Choose the CKAN Ecosystem? Unlike proprietary solutions, CKAN offers complete data sovereignty. There are no license fees, no vendor lock-in, and organizations retain full rights to their data and metadata. Whether for a national government, a research institution, or an enterprise-level data lake, CKAN provides a scalable, secure, and future-proof solution for managing the world's most valuable information assets.

Replaces

CKAN is an alternative to: alation, collibra, atlan