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YAZ is a programmers’ toolkit supporting the development of Z39.50/SRW/SRU clients and servers. Z39.50-2003 (version 3) as well as SRW/SRU version 1.1 are supported in both the client and server roles.

The current version of YAZ includes support for the industry standard ZOOM API for Z39.50. This API vastly simplifies the process of writing new clients using YAZ, and it reduces your dependency on any single toolkit.

YAZ can be used by itself to build Z39.50 applications in C.For programmers preferring another language, YAZ has three language bindings to commonly used application development languages.We provide the YAZ++ toolkit for applications in C++, PHP/YAZ for application building in PHP, SimpleServer for server applications in Perl, and NET::Z3950 for client applications in Perl.(If you are looking for a Z39.50 toolkit in Java, we recommend that you check out Knowledge Integration's open source offering, JZKit.)

Libraries and vendors can freely download YAZ and its associated toolkits to build their own Z39.50 applications.Alternatively, they can use the consultancy and support services of Index Data to take advantage of our decade of experience building and supporting Z39.50 toolkits and applications.

YAZ has been widely considered the leading toolkit for building Z39.50 clients and servers since its first release in 1995. During a decade of active service, the YAZ toolkit has been battle-hardened in every conceivable type of employment, and grown in its support for even the more esoteric aspects of the Z39.50 and SRW protocols.

Who Uses YAZ?

More Z39.50 Clients and Servers in use around the world are based on YAZ than any other toolkit.

Statistics from Index Data’s Z39.50 Target Directory page compiled in the Fall of 2004 indicate that at least 35% of all Z39.50 server installations worldwide were built with YAZ. We estimate that the true figure is probably closer to 50%, but an exact percentage is not known. Use statistics gathered in mid 2004 from the Z39.50 gateway to the Library of Congress Catalog indicate that a minimum of 65%, and possibly quite a bit more, of the clients accessing the LC catalog are based on the YAZ toolkit.

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