# About DecentraLabs **Decentralizing access to science, one lab at a time.** Welcome to **DecentraLabs**: an open-source, community-driven initiative working to reshape how online laboratories are accessed, shared, and sustained across the globe. We leverage **blockchain**, **smart contracts**, and **open protocols** to build the future of **remote experimentation** for education, research, and innovation. > πŸ§ͺ *"Imagine a world where anyone, anywhere, can access a real lab in seconds. We're building that world."* *** ## πŸš€ What We’re Building DecentraLabs is more than just code; it's an ecosystem. * βš™οΈ **Smart Contracts** β€” For decentralized lab registration, reservation, and payment. * 🧠 **$LAB Token** β€” A fungible token that fuels incentives and sustainability. * πŸ–₯️ **Marketplace dApp** β€” A decentralized web application to discover and book online labs. * πŸ” **Hybrid Authentication** β€” Support for both crypto wallets *and* federated institutional SSO (e.g., eduGAIN). * 🌍 **Access Control Integration Service** β€” Seamlessly connect smart lab platforms to the decentralized protocol. * πŸ“– **Specifications, Docs & Guides** β€” So anyone can contribute, replicate, or extend. All under a **fully open-source license**, free to use, build upon, and remix. *** ## 🌱 Why It Matters For 20+ years, online laboratories (OLs) have existed but few have survived. Why? ❌ Lack of incentives\ ❌ Reduced visibility\ ❌ Lack of interoperability\ ❌ Limited discoverability\ ❌ Centralized gatekeepers\ ❌ No reliability track records\ ❌ Sustainability problems We're solving this by building a **trustless**, **transparent**, and **tokenized** ecosystem where: :heavy\_check\_mark: Institutions get rewarded for sharing their labs πŸŽ“\ :heavy\_check\_mark: Labs have a verifiable performance and reliability track record πŸ”Ž\ :heavy\_check\_mark: Students and researchers get global, verifiable access 🌐\ :heavy\_check\_mark: Everyone benefits from a **fair, open, and decentralized model** πŸ” Not convinced yet? See what students, researchers, teachers, lab technicians and lab equipment manufacturers and sellers all over the world have to say about the topic: * :bar\_chart: [Lab potential users (Spanish survey)](https://forms.office.com/Pages/AnalysisPage.aspx?AnalyzerToken=VmwPliazQ0yeNAHJhWKkiaO4tiyCOfH6\&id=SHBYtXCgrUO2VCCjHpstmUHZIu_Zj5VBpqmg_wZZ0-VUQlJRN1E2UDhDV1pRRllGTTg0TlZDSVU2Sy4u) * :bar\_chart: [Lab potential providers (Spanish survey)](https://forms.office.com/Pages/AnalysisPage.aspx?AnalyzerToken=0fhNRC6EaXN2oKncJuTTJWuLZPAizA6j\&id=SHBYtXCgrUO2VCCjHpstmUHZIu_Zj5VBpqmg_wZZ0-VUMlZDNFZXWTJIVjVVUTVHVzNGRjE4Q0dRNC4u) * :bar\_chart: [Lab potential users (English survey)](https://forms.office.com/Pages/AnalysisPage.aspx?AnalyzerToken=7Glycz6QQZdiS6wl4UzQjiJeX8dQxUhn\&id=SHBYtXCgrUO2VCCjHpstmUHZIu_Zj5VBpqmg_wZZ0-VUMUFVRkFDUkYySUlWVlJWRkpITEU4NjBUVy4u) * :bar\_chart: [Lab potential providers (English survey)](https://forms.office.com/Pages/AnalysisPage.aspx?AnalyzerToken=XYfdmbOFkF5n5Ll5ylVWB3AA5Fk5tRPg\&id=SHBYtXCgrUO2VCCjHpstmUHZIu_Zj5VBpqmg_wZZ0-VUOEM3UUpNV1lYUzcyWEFXOUdRSkJHTzFOQy4u) Would you like your voice to be heard too? You are welcome to fill the surveys yourself: * πŸ“ [Potential lab user (English)](https://forms.office.com/e/Lmaa6haCsF) * πŸ“ [Potential lab provider (English)](https://forms.office.com/e/4cuedTKrGK) * πŸ“ [Potential lab user (Spanish)](https://forms.office.com/e/55krrX1cbz) * πŸ“ [Potential lab provider (Spanish)](https://forms.office.com/e/6HYBsazuYm) *** ## πŸ“‚ Key Repositories πŸ”— Explore our work: * [`Smart Contracts`](https://github.com/DecentraLabsCom/Smart-Contracts) β€” Solidity contracts (ERC-2535 proxy, ERC-721 NFTs, EIP-809 Reservations, ERC-20 $LAB). * [`Smart Contract Specifications`](https://github.com/DecentraLabsCom/Smart-Contract-Specifications) β€” Formal definitions and workflows. * [`Lab Metadata`](https://github.com/DecentraLabsCom/Lab-Metadata) β€” Specification for the tokenized labs metadata. * [`Tokenomics`](https://github.com/DecentraLabsCom/Tokenomics) β€” $LAB tokenomics to fuel our ecosystem. * [`Marketplace dApp`](https://github.com/DecentraLabsCom/Marketplace) β€” The front-end to access, book, list and manage labs. * [`Blockchain Services`](https://github.com/DecentraLabsCom/Blockchain-Services) β€” Dockerized Java Spring service for authentication/authorization and smart contract interactions. * [`Lab Gateway`](https://github.com/DecentraLabsCom/lab-gateway) β€” Docker container that lab providers can deploy in seconds on any computer to function as a gateway / access system to their lab resources. Comes in two versions: lite and full (which includes the blockchain services). * [`Lab App Control`](https://github.com/DecentraLabsCom/lab-app-control) β€” A Windows-based daemon service for managing the open/close state of the desktop applications that provide the interface for controlling a lab setup. > Want to contribute? [Check our issues](https://github.com/orgs/DecentraLabsCom/projects) or open a discussion! *** ## 🀝 Join the Movement * 🌐 [Official Website](https://decentralabs.nebsyst.com) * πŸ—£οΈ [Follow us on Twitter/X](https://twitter.com/DecentraLabsCom) * πŸ’¬ [Join the Discussion Forum](https://github.com/orgs/DecentraLabsCom/discussions) * πŸ“¨ [Contact Us](mailto:contact@nebsyst.com) *** ## πŸ›‘ License All our work is released under the **GPL 3.0 License** because we believe in **freedom, transparency, and collaboration**. *** **DecentraLabs** is proudly led by [Nebulous Systems](https://nebsyst.com), [UNED](https://www.uned.es/) and [Blockchain@UBC](https://blockchain.ubc.ca/) with support from the [NGI Sargasso Programme](https://ngisargasso.eu/) and an international network of educators, researchers, and technologists. *** > 🌍 *Let’s decentralize the world of science experimentation. Together.* πŸ’« --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://decentralabs-2.gitbook.io/decentralabs-docs/readme.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.