Parliament is a self-hosted triple store and reasoner for Semantic Web data. The project describes it as standards-compliant for RDF, OWL, and SPARQL, with reasoning support. It is distributed under the BSD 3-Clause License, and its listed plan costs 0.00 USD per free. It supports Linux, macOS, and Windows. Version 2.8.1, released June 9, 2022, included a Docker Hub image named idemmons/parliament:2.8.1. That release separates software and data files; the data directory can be configured through kbDirectoryPath in ParliamentKbConfig.txt. Deployment documentation describes systemd service installation on Linux and UNIX, and a PowerShell startup script for Windows. Release notes say long-running queries time out and that a SWRL rules engine was added in 2019. The 2.8.1 notes also added a section on securing an instance. Parliament began in 2009, with initial development funded by DARPA through the DAML program; Raytheon BBN Technologies later extended it for internal R&D use. Its license provides the software “AS IS” and disclaims warranties.
Who it is for
Parliament suits teams or developers seeking a free, self-hosted store and reasoner for RDF, OWL, or SPARQL data. Its documented deployment options cover Linux/UNIX and Windows.
What is good
- Standards-compliant for RDF, OWL, and SPARQL
- BSD 3-Clause open-source license
- Supports reasoning
- Includes a Docker Hub image for version 2.8.1
What to know first
- The license disclaims express and implied warranties
- The listed release is dated June 9, 2022
- Deployment is self-hosted
Verdict
Parliament brings triple storage and reasoning together under a free BSD license, with deployment guidance for multiple operating systems. The license disclaims warranties, and the listed 2.8.1 release dates to 2022.
Get started with Parliament
- Open the Parliament project website on GitHub.
- Choose a self-hosted deployment for Linux, macOS, or Windows.
- For Linux or UNIX, follow the documented systemd service installation route.
- For Windows, use the documented PowerShell startup script.
- For version 2.8.1, use the idemmons/parliament:2.8.1 Docker Hub image if appropriate.
- Set the data location through kbDirectoryPath in ParliamentKbConfig.txt.
Questions about Parliament
How much does Parliament cost?
The listed Parliament plan is 0.00 USD per free. Parliament is open source under the BSD 3-Clause License.
Which platforms does Parliament support?
The listed platforms are Linux, macOS, self-hosted, and Windows. Deployment documentation also describes systemd installation on Linux and UNIX and a PowerShell startup script on Windows.
What standards and reasoning does Parliament support?
The project describes Parliament as standards-compliant for RDF, OWL, and SPARQL, and lists reasoning support. Release notes also describe the addition of a SWRL rules engine.
Can Parliament run in a container?
The version 2.8.1 release included a Docker Hub image named idemmons/parliament:2.8.1.
What license does Parliament use?
Its source is distributed under the BSD 3-Clause License. The license provides the software “AS IS” and disclaims express and implied warranties.
Parliament plans and pricing
All plansCompared on RDF databases
- Deployment options
- self-hosted
- Reasoning support
- Yes
