DSpace 9 — Institutional Repository

DSpace 9 — Institutional Repository is a ready-to-go deployment of DSpace 9 on Azure — the world's leading open source platform for institutional repositories. No complex installation, no manual configuration: your repository is up and running within minutes of deployment. Trusted by over 3,000 universities, libraries, and research institutions across more than 100 countries, DSpace has been the software of choice for academic and non-profit organizations building open digital repositories for over 20 years.

Deploy in minutes, not days

Setting up DSpace from scratch requires expertise in Java, Tomcat, PostgreSQL, Apache Solr, and Nginx — and can take days of installation and configuration work. This offer eliminates that complexity entirely. Every component is pre-installed, pre-configured, and pre-tested on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. HTTPS is enabled out of the box. The REST API backend and Angular-based frontend are operational immediately after deployment. You can focus on building your repository — not on infrastructure setup.

What is DSpace?

DSpace is a digital archives system focused on the long-term storage, access, and preservation of digital content. It enables organizations to capture, store, index, preserve, and redistribute scholarly research — including documents, datasets, images, audio, video, and more. Researchers and scholars can publish and share digital content through a modern, standards-compliant web interface accessible to anyone. The interface is available in 22 languages, making it suitable for global deployments. DSpace is optimized for Google Scholar indexing, ensuring maximum discoverability for published content. First released in November 2002 as a joint project by MIT and HP Labs, DSpace is free open source software distributed under the BSD 3-Clause License and governed by the LYRASIS community.

What this offer includes

• DSpace 9.x fully installed and configured on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS — ready to use immediately
• HTTPS enabled out of the box (self-signed certificate, replaceable with your own)
• DSpace backend (REST API) + Angular-based frontend pre-configured and ready to use
• PostgreSQL database included on the same VM — no external database required
• Apache Solr search engine pre-configured for full-text and metadata indexing
• Administrator web interface accessible immediately after deployment
• Handle System identifier support for persistent URLs

Key features

• Free open source software under the BSD 3-Clause License
• Apache Solr-based full-text search across metadata and document content
• Granular group-based access control and configurable embargo policies
• Standards-compliant interoperability: OAI-PMH, SWORD v1/v2 deposit protocol, Handle System, DataCite DOI support
• UTF-8 support and multilingual interface available in 22 languages
• Optimized for Google Scholar indexing and open access discoverability
• Configurable multi-step submission and reviewer approval workflows
• Full REST API for programmatic access, batch import/export, and third-party integrations
• Supports LDAP, Shibboleth, CAS, and ORCID authentication

Ideal for

• Universities and academic libraries building or migrating an institutional repository
• Research organizations managing open access publications, preprints, and datasets
• Government agencies archiving public records, reports, and official documents
• Non-profit organizations preserving and sharing digital collections
• Developers evaluating, extending, or integrating with DSpace for custom use cases

Getting started

After deployment, connect to the VM via SSH and follow the included post-deployment guide to set your administrator password, configure your domain name, and replace the default self-signed SSL certificate with your own. The admin web interface is accessible immediately at https://<your-ip>/. Deployment documentation: github.com/Cotechnoe/dspace9-azure-marketplace-docs. Full DSpace documentation: wiki.lyrasis.org. A global community of developers and users is available for support at the LYRASIS DSpace community forums.

License

DSpace is distributed under the BSD 3-Clause License. This offer is provided as-is with no additional software license fees. Azure VM infrastructure costs apply based on your subscription and selected VM size.