The terminology registry BARTOC collects information about all kinds of knowledge organization systems (KOS) such as controlled vocabularies, classifications, ontologies, and other semantic artifacts. This report summarizes information about software for KOS management.
Scope
This report is limited to specialized KOS software for editing, vizualizing and/or analyzing terminologies. The term “terminology” in this document is used as synonym for all kinds of KOS. Software is excluded if:
- it only happens to make use of terminologies (for instance OpenRefine and mix’n’match), or
- it is more generic software that can be used for terminology management among other use cases (like database management systems), or
- it can only be used as hosted service, or
- it is a programming library (jskos-vue, cocoda-sdk, TSS Widgets…), or
- it is limited to simple lists of terms, glossaries and similar, or
- it is so called terminology management software for a a centralized repository of approved terms, definitions, and translations in an organization.
KOS software
| name | platform | edit | api | language | license | repository | update | category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semantic MediaWiki | Web | ✓ | ✓ | PHP | GPL | github | 2025 | editor |
| Wikibase | Web | ✓ | ✓ | PHP | GPL | wikimedia | 2025 | database & editor |
| TemaTres | Web | ✓ | ✓ | PHP | GPL | github | 2025 | editor |
| iQvoc | Web | ✓ | ✓ | Ruby | Apache | github | 2025 | editor |
| VocBench | Web | ✓ | ✓ | Java & JavaScript | BSD | bitbucket | 2025 | editor |
| Skosmos | Web | - | ✓ | PHP | MIT | github | 2025 | viewer |
| JSKOS Server | Web | ✓ | ✓ | JavaScript | MIT | github | 2025 | database |
| SkoHub Vocabs | Web | ✓ | ✓ | JavaScript | Apache | github | 2025 | viewer |
| OpenTheso | Web | ✓ | ✓ | Java | GPL | github | 2025 | editor |
| Ontology Lookup Service (OLS) | Web | - | ✓ | JavaScript & Java | Apache | github | 2025 | viewer |
| VocExcel | Excel, CLI | - | - | Python | BSD-3 | github | 2025 | converter |
| OntoPortal Alliance | Web | - | ✓ | Ruby | BSD | github | 2025 | viewer |
| ShowVoc | Web | - | - | JavaScript | BSD | bitbucket | 2025 | viewer |
| voc4cat-tool | CLI, GitHub, Excel | - | - | Python | BSD-3 | github | 2025 | converter |
| jskos-cli | CLI | - | - | JavaScript | MIT | github | 2025 | converter & validator |
| Protégé | JVM | ✓ | - | Java | BSD | github | 2025 | editor |
| sssom-py | CLI | - | - | Python | MIT | github | 2025 | converter |
| TS4NFDI API Gateway | Web | - | ✓ | Java & JavaScript | ? | github | 2025 | viewer & converter |
| Network of Terms | Web | - | ✓ | Typescript | EUPL | github | 2025 | converter |
| TerminoloGit | Web, git | - | - | Python | GPL | gitlab | 2025 | converter |
| sssom-java | CLI | - | - | Java | GPL | github | 2025 | mapping converter |
| jskos-proxy | Web | - | ✓ | JavaScript | MIT | github | 2025 | viewer & converter |
| Jekyll RDF | Web | - | ✓ | Ruby | MIT | github | 2024 | viewer |
| Cocoda | Web | - | - | JavaScript | MIT | github | 2024 | mapping editor |
| Snowstorm | Web | - | ✓ | Java | Apache | github | 2024 | ? |
| Atramhasis | Web | ✓ | ✓ | Python | GPL | github | 2024 | editor |
| VocPub Profile | RDF | - | - | SHACL | CC-BY-4.0 | github | 2024 | validator |
| Vocabseditor | Web | ✓ | - | Python | MIT | github | 2024 | editor |
| qSKOS | CLI | - | ✓ | Java | GPL | github | 2024 | validator |
| VocPrez | Web | - | ✓ | Python | GPL | github | 2024 | viewer |
| Apelon DTS | ✓ | ? | Java | 2024 | ||||
| Amalgame | Web | ✓ | - | prolog | BSD | github | 2023 | mapping editor |
| Django Controlled Vocabularies | Web | - | - | Python | BSD | github | 2023 | |
| Web Protégé | Web | ✓ | - | Java | BSD | github | 2023 | editor |
| Alignment API and Alignment Server | CLI | - | ✓ | Java | GPL | inria | 2023 | database |
| Wandora | JVM | ✓ | - | Java | GPL | github | 2023 | editor |
| Ginco | Web | ✓ | ✓ | Java | GPL | github | 2022 | editor |
| SKOSjs | Web | ✓ | - | JavaScript | Apache | github | 2022 | editor |
| VoCol | Web | ✓ | - | JavaScript | MIT | github | 2021 | editor |
| Skosify | CLI | - | ✓ | Python | MIT | github | 2021 | converter & validator |
| mc2skos | CLI | ✓ | - | Python | The Unlicense | github | 2021 | converter |
| OpenSKOS | Web | - | ✓ | PHP | GPL | github | 2020 | viewer & editor |
| SISSVoc | Web | - | ✓ | XSLT | Apache | github | 2019 | |
| SKOS Play | Web | - | - | Java | CC-BY-SA | bitbucket | 2018 | |
| OntoBee | Web | - | ✓ | PHP & JavaScript | Apache | github | 2018 | |
| ng-skos | Web | - | - | JavaScript | github | 2016 | ||
| SKOS Editor | Web | ✓ | ✓ | Java | LGPL | github | 2016 | |
| HIVE Vocabulary Server | Web | ✓ | - | Java | BSD | github | 2015 | |
| ASKOSI | Web | - | - | Java | GPL | askosi | 2011 | |
| THManager | JVM | ✓ | - | Java | LGPL | sourceforge | 2006 | |
| OntoServer | Web | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Apelon TermManager | Web | ✓ | ? | mapping editor | ||||
| PoolParty Thesaurus Server | Web | - | - | |||||
| TopBraid EDG | ? | ✓ | - | |||||
| Lexasaurus | ✓ | - | editor | |||||
| Mondeca | ? | ? | ||||||
| OxO | Web | ? | ? |
The list of software is managed in a JSON file as array of records with flat fields as described below. Applications without license or repository are close source. Deprecated applications are included for historical reference.
Please open an issue if some relevant software is missing!
Metadata
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
name |
name |
url |
homepage |
platform |
operating system or similar dependency (Web, CLI…) |
api |
whether a web service or similar API is provided to connect to |
edit |
whether vocabularies can be modified with the software |
language |
programming language(s) |
license |
license of the software (if free software) |
repository |
source Code repository (if open source) |
update |
year of most recent update |
category |
type of KOS software |
KOS software categories
- viewer: to display terminologies
- editor: to create and modify terminologies
- mapping editor: to create and modify mappings/alignments
- converter: to convert from one format into another
- validator: to check terminologies
- database: to store terminologies
Other software
Knowledge organization systems are also managed by other types software excluded from this report.
Generic software
Simple terminologies can be managed in a spreadsheet (LibreOffice Calc, Excel, Google Sheets…). This software lacks most special functionality for terminology management but the usability and accessibility is very high. Some tools in the list above (VocExcel, voc4cat-tool) enhance standard spreadsheets with terminology management functionalities.
The same applies to database management systems (RDBMS, NoSQL, RDF triple stores, property graph databases…) with some additional features such as unique key constraints but less usability. An edge case might be systems for management of knowledge graphs (such as Wikibase), included above.
Tools for personal knowledge management (such as Obsidian and Notion) help to structure ideas and concepts. Similar tools exist for enterprises to support data integration, knowledge management and/or business intelligence of an organization (for instance PoolParty Semantic Suite).
Several Content Management Systems (CMS) allow to manage a list or hierarchy of topics or other entities for knowledge managements. If these lists can be exported, the CMS can be applied to manage terminologies. An example is Drupal, which was used for the first version of BARTOC terminology registry.
Terminologies can also directly be managed in files for instance in RDF/Turtle syntax. This only requires a text editor but the risk is high to introduce errors. A version control system such as git can be used on top to track changes.
Hosted services
Some organizations host their own applications for KOS management. Examples from cultural heritage domain in Germany are DANTE and xTree. The BARTOC list of terminology registries includes some more terminology services that may also include management functionalities.
Terminology management
The term “terminology management” is also used for systems to organize the terms, definitions, and translations used in an organization. See Montoro (2018) for a list of terminology management systems. The focus of these systems is more on translation but there is some overlap with KOS management.
Acknowledgements
Contributions to this report or to its predecessors have been provided by Adrian Pohl, Antoine Isaac, David Linke, Eugene Morozov, Koen Van Daele, Matthias Löbe, Monty Bitto, Roman Baum, Susanne Arndt, and possibly others.