aggregator

An aggregator is a software component or service that collects data from multiple sources and presents it in a unified interface, feed, or database. Aggregators can operate by pulling data from partner sources (pull) or receiving updates via data pushes (push), and they may specialize in a particular domain or cover a broad range of content.

Common forms include news aggregators, which compile articles from diverse publishers; content aggregators, which collect blogs, videos, and other media; price aggregators, which compare products and prices across retailers; data aggregators, which assemble datasets for research or analytics; and feed aggregators, which manage RSS or Atom subscriptions.

Operation: aggregators retrieve data through web crawling or direct APIs, deduplicate and normalize metadata, categorize items, and rank or filter results for display. They may offer search, personalization, alerts, or export options and can present results in web interfaces, mobile apps, or programmatic APIs.

Benefits include centralized access, broader coverage, and tailored recommendations. Limitations include uneven data quality, licensing and copyright concerns, reliance on source APIs or sites, latency, and potential biases in curation or ranking.

Origin and standards: the term arises from early internet services that compiled content from multiple sources. Standards such as RSS and Atom support feed aggregation, while modern aggregators increasingly rely on open licenses, partnerships, or APIs. Ethical and legal considerations include respecting terms of service, copyright, and data provenance.