Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A library evaluating institutional repository options in 2026 that finds an older reference to 'DuraSpace' as the steward of DSpace should read that as historical: LYRASIS is the current steward, operating DSpace (and Fedora) through its DuraSpace Community Supported Programs division.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
Fedora, the Flexible Extensible Digital Object Repository Architecture, is a distinct repository software project from DSpace -- both were stewarded by DuraSpace and are now stewarded by LYRASIS, but they are separate codebases with different origins (Fedora traces to a 1997 Cornell/University of Virginia project; DSpace traces to a 2002 MIT Libraries/Hewlett-Packard Labs project) and different technical architectures.
Editorial commentary
DuraSpace was formed in 2009 through the merger of two of the largest open-source digital-repository providers of the time: the DSpace Foundation and Fedora Commons. As DuraSpace, the combined nonprofit stewarded both platforms — and, later, the VIVO research-networking/CRIS platform — as shared community open-source projects rather than commercial products.
The 2019 merger into LYRASIS
LYRASIS and DuraSpace announced their intent to merge on 24 January 2019; the merger of the two 501(c)(3) nonprofits was completed on 1 July 2019, with LYRASIS remaining the parent legal entity. A newly created DuraSpace Community Supported Programs division within LYRASIS became the ongoing home for DSpace, Fedora, VIVO, and DuraSpace’s other open-source programs. “DuraSpace” is therefore now a historical name and an internal LYRASIS program label, not an independent organization.
What continues today
DSpace remains an actively developed open-source repository platform (a Java/Spring Boot back end with an Angular front end since DSpace 7), with hosted options including LYRASIS’s own DSpaceDirect alongside third-party providers. Fedora continues as a Linked Data Platform API/object store, typically paired with a front-end application layer such as Islandora or Hyrax/Samvera, rather than functioning as a turnkey end-user repository on its own. See CASRAI’s comparison of DSpace vs. EPrints vs. Digital Commons vs. Fedora and VIVO for how these platforms compare today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does “DuraSpace” still register or host anything?
No — as of the 2019 merger, LYRASIS is the operating organization; “DuraSpace” survives as a program name (DuraSpace Community Supported Programs) within LYRASIS, not as a separate legal entity.
Are DSpace and Fedora the same software?
No — they are separate repository platforms with different origins and architectures that happened to share the same nonprofit steward, first as DuraSpace and now as LYRASIS.
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="DuraSpace"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/duraspace" />{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "DefinedTerm",
"@id": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/duraspace",
"name": "DuraSpace",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/duraspace",
"description": "DuraSpace was a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, formed in 2009 through the merger of the DSpace Foundation and Fedora Commons, that stewarded the open-source DSpace and Fedora repository platforms -- and later VIVO -- on behalf of their user communities. DuraSpace merged into LYRASIS (announced 24 January 2019, completed 1 July 2019) and its software programs now continue as the DuraSpace Community Supported Programs division within LYRASIS; DuraSpace no longer exists as an independent organization.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/data-infrastructure#set",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/duraspace",
"sameAs": [],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"publisher": {
"@id": "https://casrai.org/#organization"
},
"author": {
"@id": "https://casrai.org/#editorial-team"
},
"datePublished": "2026-08-22T10:45:31",
"dateModified": "2026-09-04T07:25:46",
"inLanguage": "en-GB",
"isAccessibleForFree": true
}
