When comparing X-Road to the data space definition, it is easy to identify many common factors and similarities. In fact, the definition could very well be used to describe X-Road at a high level. Despite these similarities, X-Road is not a dataspace technology today, as it is not compliant with current dataspace standards and specifications. However, this is expected to change, as the release of X-Road 8 “Spaceship” in 2026 will transform X-Road into a dataspace technology.
Dataspaces are decentralized environments that enable sovereign data sharing between organizations without requiring centralized control. They are built on common standards, governance frameworks and policies that define how participants exchange data while retaining ownership and control over their data. Trust in dataspaces is established through shared rules, identity management, and agreed set of policies rather than through a central authority. Dataspaces support interoperability by allowing heterogeneous systems and platforms to exchange data in a standardized way.
According to the ISO/IEC 20151 standard, “Information technology — Cloud computing and distributed platforms — Dataspace concepts and characteristics,” data spaces are defined as:
"Governance framework and supporting services to build trustworthiness and enable data sharing through an agreed set of policies, semantic models, protocols and processes."
X-Road 8, “Spaceship,” will implement the Dataspace Protocol (DSP) and the Decentralised Claims Protocol (DCP). Also, X-Road 8 will be technically compatible with the Gaia-X Trust Framework (see the X-Road Gaia-X use-case testimonial for more details). The implementation is based on the Eclipse Dataspace Components (EDC) open-source project maintained by the Eclipse Foundation.
Dataspace Initiatives
Multiple organisations and initiatives are developing specifications, standards, and building blocks for dataspaces, such as the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA), the Gaia-X European Association for Data and Cloud AISBL, the Eclipse Dataspace Working Group (EDWG), and the Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC). The initiatives work together with the aim of keeping specifications and standards aligned and avoiding the creation of multiple overlapping or competing specifications.
Dataspace Standards and Specifications
There are multiple ongoing data space-related specification projects and standardisation efforts that impact the implementation of X-Road 8 “Spaceship.” For example:
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