Introduction

The emergence of dataspaces as a key enabler for trustworthy data sharing has introduced a new class of data architecture principles. Within this landscape, the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) provides a foundational Rulebook that defines the core principles, roles, and capabilities required to establish and operate such environments. However, turning these high-level principles into actionable, technical guidance requires a dedicated architectural framework. This is the purpose of the Reference Architecture Model (RAM).

The RAM is the central compendium of technical documents that operationalizes the concepts defined in the IDSA Rulebook. It maps abstract governance models, data usage policies, and protocol specifications into concrete technical (logical) components, interfaces, and behavioral patterns. It does so with a clear focus: enabling interoperability, scalability, and conformance without prescribing a single implementation path. In other words, the RAM is not a blueprint but a design space—a structured but flexible guide that supports diverse requirements while preserving the integrity of the IDSA dataspace model.

This document is for system architects, software engineers, and infrastructure designers who are tasked with building or integrating components within a dataspace to enable business-driven data ecosystems. If you’re looking to understand what makes a connector IDSA-compliant, how to build interoperable and integrable services, or how to maintain trust and policies in a decentralized environment—this is your technical guidance.

Central to the RAM are specifications such as the Dataspace Protocol (DSP) and the Decentralized Claims Protocol ( DCP). These protocols define how components communicate, how identities are exchanged and verified, and how policy-conformant data discovery and transfer is achieved. The RAM highlights these specifications, covering components, message formats, interaction sequences, and binding details. Further, it describes in depth how they are integrated with key capabilities like identity management, observability, data discovery, contract negotiation and secure data transfer. Details of such capabilities are maintained within dedicated documents under the purview of IDSA. The IDSA RAM document integrate and connect these documents to provide a comprehensive overview and a single source of truth for architecture models according to IDSA specifications.

To support real-world applicability, the RAM organizes its content into two major sections:

Capability Mapping: This section lists the essential capabilities enabled through dataspaces—such as data discovery, policy enforcement, usage control, identity resolution, and observability. Each capability is analyzed from a technical perspective, detailing how it can be implemented within a compliant dataspace. The descriptions are aligned with the IDSA Rulebook and maintains references to the foundational concepts to highlight the strong relation between the two documents. The RAM content is however grounded in system-level detail, interactions pattern, documents expected behavior, and provides guidance on integration patterns of infrastructure and other technologies.

Architectural Best Practices: Recognizing the diversity of business and technical requirements across domains, the RAM does not enforce a singular architecture. Instead, it presents validated patterns and warns against known anti-patterns, guiding implementers through the architectural decisions while setting up or operating a dataspace. Whether the goal is to create a lightweight edge connector, operate a multi-tenant marketplace, or integrate with existing enterprise systems, the RAM aims on outlining the architectural considerations and trade-offs—while maintaining compatibility with the IDSA model.

The RAM is intentionally neutral with respect to implementations. It refrains from endorsing any specific codebase or vendor product. Where useful, illustrative code snippets and configuration examples are included to clarify complex concepts and show practical realizations. For this, available open source projects (such as those maintained under the Eclipse Dataspace Working Group (EDWG) initiative) are referenced.

Importantly, the RAM is a living document due to continuous updates of IDSA technical documents this document refers to. Therefore, rather than locking into static version cycles, it evolves incrementally with latest releases of technical documents. Changes of these documents are managed through the corresponding GitHub repositories, with full traceability of modifications and clear visibility into the rationale behind decisions. Periodic release tags of the RAM document however will provide stable points of reference, allowing contributors and adopters to align their work with a consistent snapshot of the evolving model.