yaplrd

Yaplrd is an open-source software framework intended for building and running data processing pipelines in distributed environments. It emphasizes modularity, portability, and reproducibility, providing a lightweight runtime and a set of pluggable components for ingestion, transformation, and output.

Yaplrd is designed to let developers describe pipelines declaratively and compose them from reusable operators. It supports execution on single machines or in clusters, with an emphasis on predictable scheduling and fault tolerance. The project aims to offer a minimal yet expressive foundation for constructing end-to-end data workflows.

History of the project traces its origins to a community effort in the early 2020s to address fragmentation in streaming and batch processing. The initial releases focused on core scheduling and a minimal operator library, with later versions adding connectors for common data stores and messaging systems. This evolving library seeks to balance simplicity with practical integration capabilities.

Architecture of the runtime consists of a core engine that interprets a pipeline graph, a library of operators for common data tasks, adapters to external systems, and a simple scheduler. Pipelines are represented as directed graphs where nodes perform operations and edges convey data between components.

Usage and interoperability: Pipelines can be defined in a declarative format and executed by the runtime across different environments. The project provides bindings for popular languages and aims to integrate with existing data ecosystems through standard interfaces and connectors.

Development and reception: Yaplrd is released under an open-source license and is maintained through a community-driven process with periodic releases and documentation improvements. While it remains a niche project compared to larger platforms, it is used in academic experiments and by small teams seeking lightweight, auditable pipelines.