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Glossary

Core dataspace concepts

Dataspace. A federated, policy-governed network of organisations exchanging data under shared rules without giving up custody of the data itself. Each participant runs a connector that enforces what can be shared, with whom, and on what terms. Examples in scope: mobility-data-space, catena-x.

Dataspace participant. An organisation that has joined a dataspace by registering an identity, deploying a connector, and accepting the dataspace’s terms of participation. Participants exchange data peer-to-peer through their connectors; they do not route data through a central hub.

Dataspace governance authority. The organisation that operates or defines a specific dataspace: registers profiles, sets the identity and credential rules, controls discoverability of participants, and arbitrates compliance. See the governance-authority persona for how Kaphera serves this role.

Sovereign data exchange. Data sharing where each participant retains legal and operational control over their data, mediated by policy enforced at the connector boundary. The opposite of pooling data into a third-party platform; sovereignty is the architectural premise of every dataspace Kaphera supports.

Connectors and protocols

Connector. The software stack a participant runs to take part in a dataspace. A connector handles identity, policy, contract negotiation, and the actual data transfer. In the Kaphera world, a connector is an EDC connector deployed and managed by the Kaphera operators.

EDC (Eclipse Dataspace Connector / Eclipse Dataspace Components). The open-source reference implementation of a dataspace connector, governed by the Eclipse Foundation. EDC defines the components (control plane, identity hub, credential issuer, data plane) that Kaphera’s operators package, deploy, and operate at scale. See kaphera-edc-operator.

IDS (International Data Spaces). The earlier reference architecture that the dataspace movement grew out of, now largely superseded by the Eclipse Dataspace Components. Many regulatory and industry texts still cite IDS terminology.

DSP (Dataspace Protocol). The wire protocol for connector-to-connector communication: catalogue exchange, contract negotiation, transfer process. Kaphera’s DSP-compliant data plane is kaphera-dsp-data-plane.

Managed connector. A connector whose infrastructure (Kubernetes, identity, secrets, database, monitoring) is operated by a service provider rather than the participant. Kaphera Cloud’s shared, dedicated, and enterprise tiers are all flavours of managed connector.

Specific dataspaces

Catena-X. The automotive industry dataspace, governed by the Catena-X Automotive Network association. Targets the EU automotive supply chain (OEMs, tier-1, tier-2, tier-3 suppliers) for use cases like the Digital Product Passport, demand-and-capacity management, and quality data exchange.

MDS (Mobility Data Space). The German mobility-sector dataspace, in production today. Kaphera has been operating MDS connectors since mid-2026 and uses MDS as the production reference for Kaphera Cloud’s GA narrative.

Digital twins and product passports

AAS (Asset Administration Shell). The Industry 4.0 standard for digital representations of physical assets, governed by the Industrial Digital Twin Association. AAS Part 2 defines the API for accessing a twin; Kaphera’s kaphera-digital-twin-registry is AAS Part 2-compliant.

DTR (Digital Twin Registry). The catalogue service that maps real-world assets to their digital twin descriptions inside a dataspace. Catena-X requires a DTR for product-level data exchange. Kaphera ships an open-source, multi-tenant DTR; see kaphera-digital-twin-registry.

Digital Product Passport. A structured, machine-readable record of a product’s composition, origin, repairability, and end-of-life data, mandated under EU regulation for batteries and (progressively) for other product categories. Dataspaces are the envisaged distribution mechanism; DTRs provide the addressing layer.

  • product-brief: uses most of these terms in their canonical product context.
  • pr-faq: the launch narrative where the regulatory and ecosystem terms (Catena-X, MDS, Data Act, Digital Product Passport) are framed for an external reader.
  • index: the components that implement the protocols and registries defined here.
  • Product: the folder index; come back here when a term in another product note is unfamiliar.

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