Hyku vs Hyrax: Frequently Asked Questions for Academic Institutions

Selecting the right digital repository platform is a strategic decision for any academic institution. Within the open-source Samvera ecosystem, Hyku and Hyrax stand out as two powerful options, each offering distinct approaches to scalability, customization, and long-term sustainability. Understanding their key differences can help your institution choose the best fit for its goals, technical capacity, and digital preservation needs.

Below is a straightforward Q&A designed for librarians, digital repository managers, and cultural heritage technologists who want fast, practical answers to their most common questions.

📌Note: These are the most common questions people ask. Read Notch8 Consulting - Hyku and Hyrax Questions and Answers for our full Q&A that includes detailed technical differences, future features, and other information. 

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General Questions

Q: What is the difference between Hyku and Hyrax? A: Hyrax is a flexible framework built on the Samvera stack. Hyku is a full application built on top of Hyrax, offering additional features like multi-tenancy, user-friendly administration, and out-of-the-box repository functionality.

Q: Who should use Hyrax? A: Use Hyrax if you have in-house Rails developers and want to build or extend a custom repository.

Q: Who should use Hyku? A: Use Hyku if you want a ready-to-use institutional repository with built-in admin tools, metadata control, and optional managed hosting.

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Technical Features

Q: Does Hyku support multi-tenant repositories? A: Yes. Hyku allows institutions to host multiple isolated repositories (tenants) with unique branding, metadata schemas, and storage settings.

Q: Can I customize metadata in Hyku? A: Yes. Starting in Hyku 6.2, you can define custom metadata fields and work types using YAML—no developer required.

Q: Does Hyku support full-text search? A: Yes. Powered by Solr and Blacklight, Hyku supports full-text search, faceting, and advanced queries across all tenants.

Q: What about IIIF and media display? A: Hyku supports IIIF and includes Universal Viewer for displaying PDFs, images, audio, and video content. CloverIIIF viewer, which supports A/V streaming, will be released as an option in the future.

Q: Can I bulk upload and items on Hyku? A: Yes. Hyku includes Bulkrax for uploading content via CSV, XML, or OAI-PMH. You can track failed records and re-import easily.

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Preservation and Analytics

Q: Is Hyku suitable for research data and preservation? A: Yes to research data, and for preservation, to a degree. Hyku supports file versioning, embargoes, access controls, and checksum verification. It can be integrated with preservation tools like Archivematica or Preservica.

Q: Does Hyku provide analytics? A: Yes. Hyku offers Google Analytics 4 integration and optional Hyrax Analytics modules for download tracking and usage metrics.

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Accessibility, Branding, and Integration

Q: Is Hyku accessible? A: Yes. Hyku adheres to accessibility standards, including semantic HTML, ARIA attributes, and keyboard navigation. Ongoing improvements are led by the community.

Q: Can I customize the look and feel? A: Yes. Hyku supports theming, logo uploads, CSS overrides, and advanced customizations via Hyku Knapsack.

Q: Can Hyku integrate with other systems? A: Yes. Hyku supports OAI-PMH harvesting, Avalon Media System (via iframe or API), SWORD API v2 support, and more.

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Hosting & Support

Q: Should we host Hyku ourselves or use a vendor? A: Self-hosting requires internal DevOps, Ruby on Rails, and Solr expertise. Most institutions choose a managed hosting option like HykuUP, which offers maintenance, upgrades, and support.

Q: What is HykuUP? A: HykuUP is a hosted and supported version of Hyku offered by Notch8. It’s optimized for academic libraries and cultural heritage institutions seeking a full-featured, low-maintenance repository solution.

Q: Does Notch8 provide other hosting options? A: Yes, for larger institutions or consortia, we typically host standalone instances of Hyku with increased support and maintenance resourcing, and customization options. Similar to a SaaS "enterprise" plan.

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About Notch8

Notch8 is a trusted partner in the Samvera community, providing custom development, hosting, and support for Hyku and Hyrax repositories. We’ve worked with top academic institutions, libraries, and museums across North America since 2016.

Our managed repository service, HykuUP, offers a streamlined path to open-source adoption with expert support built in.

Learn more at hykuup.com or notch8.com/services-2.