RDF

Semantic & Data Protocol

Resource Description Framework — W3C standard data model for representing information as graphs of subject-predicate-object triples. Foundation of the Semantic Web; serves as the underlying graph data model that OWL, SHACL, SPARQL, and most semantic-web tooling operate over. Used by AD4M (Perspectives), NextGraph, Solid, ActivityPub (via JSON-LD), and W3C Verifiable Credentials. Co-designed with related W3C Semantic Web standards.

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License Specification only — RDF is a data model, not a software implementation; many open-source implementations exist (Apache Jena, RDFLib, rdflib.js, Eclipse RDF4J, Oxigraph, etc.) under various open licenses
Dev Status 🟢 Active
Dev Status Detail Released / Mature (W3C Recommendation since 1999; broadly adopted across semantic web and linked data)
Owner W3C (World Wide Web Consortium); RDF Working Group
Country International (W3C is a global standards body)
Start Year 1999
Stack Specification (W3C Recommendation); reference implementations across many languages — Apache Jena (Java), RDFLib (Python), rdflib.js (JavaScript), Eclipse RDF4J (Java), Oxigraph (Rust), Comunica (JavaScript)
Funding W3C member organization fees; W3C Working Group volunteer participation
Last Investigated Jul 1, 2026

Use Case Domains

Co-Creation & Knowledge

Semantic & Data Protocol Attributes

Origins Semantic Web / Linked Data (originated as metadata model for Web resources; broadened into general graph data model for cross-system interoperability)
Database Triple stores (Apache Jena, Virtuoso, GraphDB, Stardog, Oxigraph) and quad stores; also embedded as RDF graphs in JSON-LD documents, Turtle files, etc.
Query Language SPARQL (W3C SPARQL Recommendation; primary RDF query language)
Data Formats Turtle (.ttl), N-Triples, N-Quads, TriG, RDF/XML, JSON-LD, RDFa — multiple syntactic serializations of the same abstract triple model
Collaborative Live Editing N/A (data model specification)
Rich Text Editing N/A (data model specification)
Mobile Support Library-level (RDF libraries available across platforms)
Web Support Yes — JSON-LD and RDFa are explicitly Web-oriented serializations; many JavaScript libraries
Native Apps N/A (data model specification; consumed by applications via libraries)
Terms Open standard — W3C Recommendation; implementations under various open-source licenses
Funds N/A (W3C standards process; no direct project funding)
Based On Logic / First-order predicate semantics; Web architecture (URIs for resource identification); influenced by earlier knowledge representation work (frames, semantic networks, conceptual graphs)
Semantic Web Compatibility Native — RDF is the foundational data model of the Semantic Web
Protocol Maturity / Standardization W3C Recommendation (Mature) — RDF 1.0 (1999); RDF 1.1 (2014); RDF 1.2 in development (2025); co-designed with the broader W3C Semantic Web Suite (OWL, SHACL, SPARQL)
Vocabulary / Ontology Type Generic graph data model — supports any RDF Schema (RDFS) vocabulary, OWL ontology, or domain-specific vocabulary built on top; not itself a domain vocabulary but the substrate for them
Usage Pattern Linked data publication on the web; knowledge graphs in enterprise (Wikidata, Wikipedia, EBay, governments); ontology-backed reasoning; W3C VC data model; ActivityPub via JSON-LD; AD4M Perspective triplets; NextGraph commons graph; Solid Pod data