Dapports

Dapports are standardized data-exchange endpoints in distributed software systems. They function as port-like interfaces that carry structured data payloads between producers and consumers, enabling decoupled integration of services, data pipelines, and components. A dapport is identified by a unique address and exposes a data schema, version, and metadata that describe allowable payloads, quality of service, and security requirements.

The term is not universally standardized and appears in niche literature and speculative standards discussions. It is commonly linked etymologically to data ports or adapters, suggesting a role as a dedicated conduit for data rather than a general network socket.

Core concepts include schema-driven interaction, automatic discovery, and configurable routing. Dapports are designed to be versioned, allowing producers and consumers to negotiate compatible payloads at runtime. Implementations may expose network endpoints or be realized as in-process abstractions within a service mesh, message broker, or data-processing layer.

Standards and protocols: no single widely adopted specification governs dapports. Proposals have described a Data Access Protocol (DAP-P) and related JSON schema conventions to describe payloads, validation, and capabilities. Typical features include runtime schema negotiation, secure transport, access control, and observability through metadata such as schemas, validators, and SLA hints.

Uses and examples: dapports appear in discussions of microservice architectures, data integration platforms, and event-driven pipelines, where explicit data contracts and dynamic routing improve interoperability. They are often discussed in theoretical or prototype contexts rather than production-grade ecosystems.

See also: data port, data contract, adapter pattern, service mesh.