datalab is a user-friendly, open-source platform that can capture all the experimental data and metadata produced in a scientific lab, targeted (broadly) at materials chemistry but with customisability and extensibility in mind. datalab records data and metadata securely and makes it accessible and reusable by both humans and machines, via the web UI and API, respectively.
- Capture and store sample and device metadata.
- Connect and sync raw data directly from laboratory instruments.
- Built-in support for many characterisation techniques (XRD, NMR, echem, TEM, TGA, Mass Spec, Raman and more).
- Capture scientific context by storing the graph of relationships between research objects.
- A Python API for programmatic access to your lab's data, enabling custom analysis and automation.
- A plugin ecosystem for custom data blocks, AI integration and other instance-specific code.
- Join the datalab federation for additional shared features across instances.
datalab can be self-hosted, and managed deployments are available from datalab industries ltd. (hello@datalab.industries).
You can read more about datalab in our paper in the Journal of Open Source Software:
Matthew L. Evans, Joshua D. Bocarsly, Benjamin Charmes, Ben E. Smith, Gian-Marco Rignanese, David Waroquiers, Clare P. Grey, datalab: federated data management infrastructure for materials chemistry and beyond, Journal of Open Source Software 11 (126), 10652 (2026). DOI: 10.21105/joss.10652