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Eclipse RDF4J

A Java-based RDF framework and triple store supporting both in-memory and persistent storage. Provides SPARQL query endpoints over HTTP and a pluggable storage architecture (SAIL API) used by other triple store implementations including Ontotext GraphDB.

Visit website GitHub 422 stars

Elsewhere

Overall rank
#27
First released
2002
License
BSD-3-Clause
Built with
Java

Lineage

Sesame2002Eclipse RDF4JOWLIM2005Ontotext GraphDBStrabon2010 · endedApache MarmottaKiWi2010 · endedHalyard2016 · ended
  • Eclipse RDF4J: renamed from Sesame.
  • OWLIM, 2005: based on Eclipse RDF4J.
  • Ontotext GraphDB: renamed from OWLIM.
  • Strabon, 2010: based on Eclipse RDF4J; no longer developed.
  • Apache Marmotta KiWi, 2010: based on Eclipse RDF4J; no longer developed.
  • Halyard, 2016: based on Eclipse RDF4J; no longer developed.

Details

Vendor
Eclipse Foundation
Previous names
Sesame
Type
RDF
Category
Established
License
BSD-3-Clause
Language
Java
Query Languages
SPARQL
Protocols
HTTP/RESTSPARQL Protocol
Sources 5 references

Protocols HTTP/REST, SPARQL Protocol

RDF4J Server speaks the SPARQL 1.1 Protocol plus a Graph Store/transaction REST API; the RDF4J library can also run embedded via a LocalRepositoryManager with no network layer.

Released 2002

Corrected from current value '2016' (the year Sesame was forked into the Eclipse RDF4J project) to 2002: RDF4J is a rename of the Sesame framework, whose first public release (0.1) was 2002-02-21.

  • 2002-02-21 Sesame 0.1 - First public release of Sesame
    NLnet; Final report Open Sesame project · reviewed 2026-08-02
  • In May 2016, Sesame officially forked into an Eclipse project called RDF4J, in recognition of Aduna no longer being involved in its development.
    RDF4J · reviewed 2026-08-02

Language Java

Confirms current value.

License BSD-3-Clause

SPDX identifier as classified by GitHub from the repository licence file.