dtool and dserver: A flexible ecosystem for findable data

dtool is a lightweight data management tool that packages metadata with immutable data to promote accessibility, interoperability, and reproducibility; dserver makes dtool datasets findable

Making data FAIR - findable, accessible, interoperable, reproducible - has become the recurring theme behind many research data management efforts. dtool is a lightweight data management tool that packages metadata with immutable data to promote accessibility, interoperability, and reproducibility. Each dataset is self-contained and does not require metadata to be stored in a centralised system. dserver, as defined by a REST API, makes dtool datasets findable, hence rendering the dtool ecosystem fit for a FAIR data management world. Its simplicity, modularity, accessibility and standardisation via API distinguish dtool and dserver from other solutions and enable it to serve as a common denominator for cross-disciplinary research data management. The dtool ecosystem bridges the gap between standardisation-free data management by individuals and FAIR platform solutions with rigid metadata requirements. We show how dtool and dserver have been used productively to enable research in solid mechanics [1], multiscale simulations [2], and molecular dynamics simulations [3].

[1] A. Sanner and L. Pastewka, Crack-Front Model for Adhesion of Soft Elastic Spheres with Chemical Heterogeneity, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 160, 104781 (2022).

[2] H. Holey, A. Codrignani, P. Gumbsch, and L. Pastewka, Height-Averaged Navier–Stokes Solver for Hydrodynamic Lubrication, Tribol. Lett. 70, 36 (2022).

[3] J. L. Hörmann, C. Liu, Y. Meng, and L. Pastewka, Molecular Simulations of Sliding on SDS Surfactant Films, J. Chem. Phys. 158, (2023).