Boutiques: a flexible framework for automated application integration in computing platforms

TL;DR

Boutiques is a flexible system that automates application integration and execution across computational platforms using containerized applications described in a JSON format, enhancing reproducibility and open science.

Contribution

It introduces a novel JSON-based framework for describing and managing applications, supporting multiple platforms and improving integration efficiency.

Findings

Supported by several virtual research platforms.

Used to describe dozens of neuroinformatics applications.

Expected to improve application integration and reproducibility.

Abstract

We present Boutiques, a system to automatically publish, integrate and execute applications across computational platforms. Boutiques applications are installed through software containers described in a rich and flexible JSON language. A set of core tools facilitate the construction, validation, import, execution, and publishing of applications. Boutiques is currently supported by several distinct virtual research platforms, and it has been used to describe dozens of applications in the neuroinformatics domain. We expect Boutiques to improve the quality of application integration in computational platforms, to reduce redundancy of effort, to contribute to computational reproducibility, and to foster Open Science.