devicesare

devicesare is a proposed open standard and ecosystem for describing, discovering, and interoperating devices within a networked environment. The goal is to provide a uniform, machine-readable model that captures a device's identity, capabilities, configuration options, and interaction methods, enabling cross-platform control and automation.

The core components include a device descriptor schema, a registry or catalog for discovering devices, and a set of interaction patterns that cover commands, queries, and events. The descriptor emphasizes declarative descriptions rather than vendor-specific APIs. It supports grouping devices into logical collections, versioning of schemas, and basic access control to address privacy and security concerns. The framework aims to be extensible, allowing new device types and capabilities to be added without breaking existing integrations.

Implementation status and outlook: devicesare has emerged from community-led efforts and research projects, with draft specifications and reference implementations released by a collaborative group. Adoption varies by platform, and several prototype integrations exist in home automation and industrial contexts. Proponents emphasize interoperability and portability across ecosystems, rather than promoting a single vendor stack. Critics often highlight the challenges of achieving broad consensus and enforcing security across diverse devices.

See also: Web of Things, IPSO Alliance, Open Connectivity Foundation, MQTT, Thing Description.