The Eclipse Dataspace Protocol is used in the context of data spaces as described and defined in the subsequent sections with the purpose to support interoperability. In this context, the specification provides fundamental technical interoperability for participants in data spaces and therefore the protocol specified here is required to join any data space as specified here. Beyond the technical interoperability measures described in this specification, semantic interoperability should also be addressed by the participants. From the perspective of the data space, interoperability needs to be addressed also on the level of trust, on organizational level and on legal level. The aspect of cross data space communication is not subject of this document, as this is addressed by the data spaces' organizational and legal agreements.
The interaction of participants in a data space is conducted by the participant agents, so-called Connectors, which implement the protocols described above. While most interactions take place between Connectors, some interactions with other systems are required. The figure below provides an overview on the context of this specification.
An Identity Provider realizes the required interfaces and provides required information to implement Trust Framework of a data space. The validation of the identity of a given participant agent and the validation of additional claims is the fundamental mechanism. The structure and content of such claims and identity may vary between different data spaces, as well as the structure of such an Identity Provider, e.g. a centralized system, a decentralized system or a federated system.
A connector will implement additional internal functionalities, like monitoring or Policy Engines, as appropriate. It is not covered by this specification, if a connector implements such or how.
The same applies for the data, which is transferred between the systems. While this document does not define the transport protocol, the structure, syntax and semantics of the data, a specification for those aspects is required and subject to the agreements of the participants or the data space.
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