CKAN

CKAN (Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network) is the open-source software that powers most of the world’s open data portals — including India’s data.gov.in, the Smart Cities Data Portal, and portals in the US, UK, EU, and dozens of other countries. It provides a complete platform for publishing datasets with rich metadata, exposing them through a documented API, managing access controls, and enabling data previews and visualisations. For Indian civic technologists, CKAN matters because it’s the standard — if you want to set up an open data portal for a city, state, or organisation, CKAN is the proven, battle-tested choice. The CKAN ecosystem includes extensions for geospatial data, harvesting from other portals, and custom theming. Maintained by the CKAN Association and a global community.