JuRSE Code of the Month - January 2026

Each month we highlight a code from Forschungszentrum Jülich and this month's code is hermes, co-developed at the Central Library (ZB).

hermes
The open-source hermes Python package implements the HERMES ("HElmholtz Rich MEtadata Software publication") workflows, that automate the publication of research software with rich metadata. By following a push-based model with continuous integration, it helps overcome limitations of platform-centric pull-based services and grants its users full control over the publication process and the metadata compiled for the publication.

JuRSE selected highlights
Yes, also workflows can be research software. If you can formalise them as code (e.g., via continuous integration workflows with yaml and/or Python code), treating them as code is more than appropriate. The people behind the HERMES workflows and the hermes Python package show how this can work. From version control and documentation to CI pipelines with tests checking the workflows themselves, all these well-known RSE techniques are also of great value if you treat workflows as a code (in short: WaaC or WAC).

More information
Website: https://hermes.software-metadata.pub
RSD: https://helmholtz.software/software/hermes
GitHub: https://github.com/softwarepub/hermes