📋 openDesk Edu OpenSpec

Complete specification framework for the openDesk Edu ecosystem - 25 integrated open-source services designed for European educational institutions.

25
Services
58
Specifications
5
Categories
100%
Open Source
GDPR
Compliant
Apache-2.0
Licensed

What is openDesk Edu?

openDesk Edu is a comprehensive, production-ready platform that integrates 25 world-class open-source applications into a unified ecosystem. It's not a vendor product - it's an ecosystem that orchestrates existing open-source projects while maintaining complete data sovereignty.

This OpenSpec documentation provides machine-verifiable specifications for every service, platform component, and integration pattern in the ecosystem.

📚 View Source on GitHub 🌐 opendesk-edu.org

Specification Methodology

The openDesk Edu OpenSpec follows the Fission AI OpenSpec format - a structured approach to documenting complex systems that enables both human understanding and machine processing.

The Five Pillars

Every service specification includes these five sections:

1️⃣ Purpose & Scope

What it does and what it doesn't do. Clear boundaries prevent scope creep and help users understand what to expect.

2️⃣ Requirements

Functional and non-functional requirements with BDD-style testable scenarios like GIVEN user clicks X, WHEN event Y, THEN result Z.

3️⃣ Dependencies & Integration

What the service needs and how it connects to other services. Enables impact analysis and deployment planning.

4️⃣ Service Level Objectives

Quantifiable reliability targets: Availability (99.9%), Latency (P95 <200ms), Error Rate (<0.1%), Capacity.

5️⃣ Disaster Recovery

RPO (Recovery Point Objective) and RTO (Recovery Time Objective) targets, backup strategies, and recovery procedures.

🌄 Interactive Landscape

Explore the complete ecosystem through our interactive landscape visualization. The landscape is embedded directly below for seamless exploration.

🌄 Open Full Landscape in New Tab

🛠️ Service Specifications (25)

Browse the complete catalog of integrated services. Click any service to view its detailed specification in the GitHub repository.

🎓 Learning Management 4 services
HIGH

ILIAS

Comprehensive LMS popular in German-speaking countries with Shibboleth SSO and advanced course management.

HIGH

Moodle

World's most widely used LMS with extensive plugin ecosystem.

HIGH

BigBlueButton

Web conferencing for online classes with whiteboard and breakout rooms.

HIGH

Jitsi Meet

WebRTC video conferencing with OIDC and Matrix UVS integration.

🔐 Identity & Access 3 services
CRITICAL

Keycloak

Open-source IAM with SAML 2.0 and OIDC support - foundation of all authentication.

CRITICAL

Nubus

Identity and access management with OpenLDAP, Portal, and UMC.

STANDARD

Self-Service Password

LDAP self-service password reset tool for OpenLDAP.

📚 Content & Collaboration 8 services
CRITICAL

Nextcloud

File storage, sharing, and collaboration (replaces Google Drive/Dropbox).

CRITICAL

OpenCloud

Lightweight CS3-native file sharing optimized for education.

HIGH

Collabora Online

Real-time document editing integrated with Nextcloud (WOPI protocol).

STANDARD

Etherpad

Real-time collaborative text editing with OT algorithm.

STANDARD

CryptPad

End-to-end encrypted collaborative editing integrated with Nextcloud.

STANDARD

Notes (im.press)

Collaborative note-taking with AI integration and Yjs collaboration.

LOW

Draw.io

Stateless diagram editor for flowcharts, UML, and network diagrams.

LOW

Excalidraw

Hand-drawn style whiteboard editor with shareable URLs.

📊 Project Management 2 services
HIGH

OpenProject

Enterprise project management with agile boards and timelines.

STANDARD

Planka

Kanban boards with real-time collaboration and LTI integration.

📧 Communication 6 services
CRITICAL

OX App Suite

Enterprise email, calendar, and groupware with SAML 2.0.

CRITICAL

SOGo

Alternative groupware with LDAP-native integration.

CRITICAL

Dovecot

IMAP email server with Sieve filtering and quota management.

CRITICAL

Postfix

SMTP mail transfer agent with TLS and authentication.

HIGH

Element

Matrix-based secure messaging with WebRTC and appservices.

HIGH

Zammad

Multi-channel helpdesk and ticketing system.

🏗️ Platform Specifications

The OpenSpec includes comprehensive platform-level documentation covering cross-cutting concerns:

💾 Backup & Restore

k8up-based backup strategy with 15-minute RPO, 30-day retention.

📊 Monitoring & Alerting

Prometheus + Grafana + Loki stack with 60+ runbooks.

🔒 Security & Compliance

GDPR-compliant, Otterize network policies, seccomp profiles.

🔧 Operations & Runbooks

12+ operational procedures, incident response, troubleshooting.

🚨 Disaster Recovery

1-hour RTO, 15-minute RPO, backup/recovery procedures.

⚡ Performance & Scaling

Capacity planning, resource sizing, scaling guidelines.

🔐 Secret Management

Secret derivation, rotation, and management procedures.

🚀 Upgrade & Migration

Upgrade strategies, migration paths, rollback procedures.

🤝 Community

The OpenSpec is maintained by the openDesk Edu community. We welcome contributions!

📖 Contributing Guide 💬 Discussions 🐛 Issues

Self-Improvement Agent

The OpenSpec is continuously validated by an automated self-improvement agent that runs as a GitLab CI scheduled pipeline. It checks for:

The agent can automatically generate patches and create merge requests, ensuring the documentation stays comprehensive and current.

License

This OpenSpec is licensed under Apache-2.0.

Built with ❤️ by the openDesk Edu Community

Inspired by the CNCF Landscape and the Fission AI OpenSpec format