eccenca · rpietzsch · Aug 17, 2026 · Jun 24, 2026 · Jul 8, 2026 · Jul 8, 2026
diff --git a/docs/.pages b/docs/.pages
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ nav:
     - Build: build
     - Explore: explore-and-author
     - Consume: consume
+    - Distribution: distribution
     - Deploy and Configure: deploy-and-configure
     - Automate: automate
     - Develop: develop

diff --git a/docs/develop/.pages b/docs/develop/.pages
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ nav:
     - Develop: index.md
     - Accessing Graphs with Java Applications: accessing-graphs-with-java-applications
     - Python Plugins: python-plugins
+    - Marketplace Packages: packages
     - cmempy - Python API: cmempy-python-api
     - cmemc - Python Scripts: cmemc-scripts
     - Build (DataIntegration) APIs: dataintegration-apis

diff --git a/docs/develop/index.md b/docs/develop/index.md
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ API documentation and programming recipes.
 
     For Python developers, we offer a [Plugin SDK](python-plugins/index.md) as well as an API for accessing and manipulating Corporate Memory Instances ([cmem-cmempy](cmempy-python-api/index.md)).
 
+- :material-shopping: Marketplace Packages
+
+    ---
+
+    [Marketplace Packages](packages/index.md) bundle existing content (graphs, Build projects, dependencies, ...) into a single shareable artifact. [Create your own packages](packages/development/index.md) for easy distribution and reuse.
+
 - :material-api: OpenAPI specification
 
     ---

diff --git a/docs/develop/packages/.pages b/docs/develop/packages/.pages
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+nav:
+    - Marketplace Packages: index.md
+    - Installation and Management: installation
+    - Development and Publication: development
diff --git a/docs/develop/packages/development/.pages b/docs/develop/packages/development/.pages
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+nav:
+    - Development and Publication: index.md
+    - Tutorial: tutorial
diff --git a/docs/develop/packages/development/index.md b/docs/develop/packages/development/index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,271 @@
+---
+title: "Marketplace Packages: Development and Publication"
+icon: material/code-json
+tags:
+    - Marketplace
+    - Package
+---
+# Development and Publication of Marketplace Packages
+
+## Introduction
+
+Marketplace Packages are archives that bundle content, functionality, and configuration from Corporate Memory for sharing and reuse.
+
+Each package has its own release cycle.
+Packages can be installed and uninstalled during runtime.
+
+In order to support the development and publication of Marketplace Packages, we published a [package-template](https://github.com/eccenca/cmem-package-template).
+Please have a look at this template to get started.
+
+This page gives an overview of the concepts you need to understand in order to develop packages.
+If you prefer to learn by doing, follow the [step-by-step tutorial](tutorial/index.md), which builds a package with a graph and a Build project from scratch.
+
+## Package Structure
+
+Use the [package-template](https://github.com/eccenca/cmem-package-template) to create the boilerplate for a package repository:
+
+```shell title="Create a package repository from the template"
+copier copy gh:eccenca/cmem-package-template my-package
+```
+
+The template asks for the following variables:
+
+`package_type`
+:   `vocabulary` (default) or `project`, see [Metadata](#metadata).
+
+`package_id`
+:   Unique package identifier in lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens (e.g. `eccenca-supply-chain-vocab`).
+
+`package_name`
+:   Human-readable package name (3 - 50 characters).
+
+`package_description`
+:   Short description of the package (10 - 150 characters).
+
+`python_dependencies`
+:   Comma-separated [Python plugin](../../python-plugins/index.md) dependencies (only asked for `project` packages).
+
+`vocab_dependencies`
+:   Comma-separated dependencies on other Marketplace Packages (only asked for `project` packages).
+
+`github_page`
+:   Optional URL of the package repository, used as the base for icons and the homepage link.
+
+The generated repository has two levels:
+the top level holds the generic package repository files (changelog, README, license, CI configuration, and a `Taskfile.yaml`), while the nested `{package_id}/` folder is the **package directory** - the actual package content plus its manifest.
+
+### License
+
+!!! info "No publication without license"
+
+    Packages without a license declaration cannot be published to a Corporate Memory Marketplace Server.
+
+Our template will bootstrap your package with an _Apache License 2.0 ([`Apache-2.0`](https://spdx.org/licenses/Apache-2.0.html))_.
+See <https://spdx.org/licenses/> if you need a different license.
+You can remove a license entirely; however, a package that does not declare a license cannot be published.
+
+### Manifest
+
+The `cpa-manifest.json` in the package directory is the central package definition.
+It contains all relevant package metadata and describes the package contents.
+It is used to present package details and contents to the `inspect` command<!-- or in the marketplace frontends-->, to install, configure and uninstall all parts of a package.
+
+#### Metadata
+
+`package_type`
+:   `project`
+    :   A package that may ship any content, mainly intended to contain Build projects, (instance/data) graphs, SHACL shapes, workspace configuration, query catalogs, etc.
+
+    `vocabulary`
+    :   A package that is supposed to contribute vocabulary / ontology contents, such as `rdf:`, `org:`, `sso:`, etc. Such a package may contain multiple vocabularies / ontologies. Packaging related SHACL shapes is reasonable, too.
+
+`package_id`
+:   Unique package identifier
+
+`package_version`
+:   Semantic version identifier string of the package, but limited to proper releases.
+
+`metadata.name`
+:   The package name in English.
+
+`metadata.description`
+:   The package description in English.
+
+`metadata.license`
+:   The [SPDX license identifier](https://spdx.org/licenses/) of the package, e.g. `Apache-2.0`.
+
+`metadata.comment`
+:   A maintainer or publisher comment.
+
+`metadata.agents`
+:   Publishers, authors, and contributors of the package.
+
+`metadata.urls`
+:   Related links, e.g. the homepage or the issue tracker of the package.
+
+`metadata.tags`
+:   Free-text tags used to categorize the package on a Marketplace Server.
+
+#### Files
+
+A package can contain graphs, Build projects, text files, and images.
+These contents are referenced in the `files` section of the `cpa-manifest.json`.
+
+##### Graphs
+
+Use the following structure to include a graph.
+`register_as_vocabulary` and `import_into` are optional instructions.
+We suggest to organize graphs in a respective sub-folder (here `graphs/`), but this is up to you:
+
+```json
+"files": [
+    …
+    {
+        "file_type": "graph",
+        "file_path": "graphs/file.ttl",
+        "graph_iri": "http://www.example.org/file/",
+        "register_as_vocabulary": true,
+        "import_into": [
+            "http://www.example.org/integration_graph/"
+        ]
+    },
+    …
+]
+```
+
+##### Projects
+
+Use the following structure to include a project.
+We suggest to organize projects in a respective sub-folder (here `projects/`), but this is up to you:
+
+```json
+"files": [
+    …
+    {
+        "file_type": "project",
+        "file_path": "projects/my-build-project.zip",
+        "project_id": "my-build-project"
+    },
+    …
+]
+```
+
+##### Texts and Images
+
+Text files and images describe the package itself rather than shipping content.
+The template declares `README.md`, `CHANGELOG.md`, and `LICENSE` this way; images are used to represent the package on a Marketplace Server:
+
+```json
+"files": [
+    …
+    {
+        "file_type": "text",
+        "file_path": "README.md",
+        "file_role": "readme"
+    },
+    {
+        "file_path": "icon.png",
+        "file_type": "image",
+        "file_role": "icon"
+    },
+    …
+]
+```
+
+#### Dependencies
+
+Dependencies to other packages or to Python plugins can be declared in the `copier copy` answers.
+The dependencies are added to the `cpa-manifest.json` as described in the next sections.
+
+##### Python Plugin Packages
+
+Use the following to declare a dependency to a Python plugin:
+
+```json
+"dependencies": [
+    …
+    {
+      "dependency_type": "python-package",
+      "pypi_id": "cmem-plugin-pyshacl"
+    },
+    …
+]
+```
+
+##### Marketplace Packages
+
+Use the following to declare a dependency to another Marketplace Package:
+
+```json
+"dependencies": [
+    …
+    {
+      "dependency_type": "marketplace-package",
+      "package_id": "w3c-rdfs-vocab"
+    }
+    …
+]
+```
+
+## Package Development Cycle
+
+!!! info "`cmemc package` reference"
+
+    The [cmemc package command group](../../../automate/cmemc-command-line-interface/command-reference/package/index.md)
+    contains all needed commands to support the complete package lifecycle.
+
+Some packages are simply wrapping existing artifacts into a managed structure (e.g. existing vocabulary/ontology).
+
+Most (solution) package development and evolution will be a back and forth between a package repository (making changes to `cpa-manifest.json` in terms of adding/removing dependencies, graph files, or Build project files) and a Corporate Memory (package development) instance.
+
+![Corporate Memory Marketplace Package Lifecycle](../mpp-lifecycle.svg){ width="50%" }
+
+!!! tip "Task wrappers"
+
+    The generated package repository ships a `Taskfile.yaml` which wraps the commands below into `task import`, `task export`, `task build`, `task check`, `task delete`, and `task publish`.
+    The [tutorial](tutorial/index.md) uses these wrappers.
+
+### Install (local) Packages
+
+Use the following command to install a local package folder content (or built `.cpa` file) to a Corporate Memory (package development) instance.
+
+```shell
+cmemc package install --input PATH
+```
+
+Make changes to graphs, configuration, or Build projects as needed.
+Newly created or imported graphs or Build projects need to be registered in `cpa-manifest.json` so they will be fetched by `export`.
+
+### Export Contents into a Package
+
+Use the following command to export the file artifacts declared in `cpa-manifest.json` from a Corporate Memory (package development) instance to a local package folder.
+
+```shell
+cmemc package export PACKAGE_ID
+```
+
+Run this to initially populate package contents from a solution configuration. You can also use it to update contents after making changes on your Corporate Memory (package development) instance, capturing them for building and releasing as a Marketplace Package.
+
+For version controlled package directories, add `--extract` to store Build projects as extracted directories instead of ZIP archives (the manifest still references the ZIP; `build` and `install` zip it silently).
+
+### Inspect Packages
+
+Review and verify the contents of a package with the following command:
+
+```shell
+cmemc package inspect PACKAGE_PATH
+```
+
+### Build Packages
+
+During development you can install a package from a local path (plain folder or a `.cpa` package) using the `cmemc package install --input PATH` command.
+
+Use the `cmemc package build` command.
+This will build a package archive from a package directory.
+
+This command processes a package directory, validates its content including the manifest, and creates a versioned Corporate Memory package archive (`.cpa`) with the following naming convention: `{package_id}-v{version}.cpa`.
+
+### Publish Packages
+
+Package archives can be published to the Marketplace Server using the `cmemc package publish` command.
+After being published packages can be found and installed directly from the Marketplace Server (potential users do not need to have the local package folder or `.cpa` file available).