Hydra-Head is a Ruby-on-Rails gem containing the core code for a web application using the full stack of hydra building blocks.

See the github wikis for information targeted to developers: http://github.com/projecthydra/hydra-head/wiki
See the duraspace hydra wikis for information at the architecture level: http://wiki.duraspace.org/display/hydra/

Additionally, new adopters and potential adopters may find the pages here useful: http://projecthydra.org/

If you are new to Hydra and looking to start a new Hydra head with a set of components that have been tested for compatibility, and for which there will be a documented upgrade path to the next versions, we recommend you use the Hydra gem: https://github.com/projecthydra/hydra

Further questions? Ask the hydra-tech list or join the freenode #projecthydra IRC channel.

This process is covered step-by-step in the Tutorial: Dive Into Hydra

See http://github.com/projecthydra/hydra-head/wiki/Installation-Prerequisites

Ruby 1.9.3+ is required by Hydra-Head release 6+; RVM is strongly suggested.

gem install 'rails' --version '~>4.0.0'

rails new my_hydra_head
cd my_hydra_head

First, add them to the Gemfile of your application. The new rails application you just generated will have generated a Gemfile; add blacklight and hydra-head as below:

  source 'http://rubygems.org'

  gem 'rails', '4.0.0'

  gem 'blacklight'
  gem 'hydra-head', '~> 6.3.0'

To install all of the dependencies, run:

bundle install

Run the blacklight generator

rails g blacklight --devise

Run the hydra-head generator

rails g hydra:head -f

Run the database migrations

rake db:migrate

If you need a copy of jetty (very likely)

rails g hydra:jetty

Congratulations. You’ve set up the code for your Hydra Head.

Read Tools for Developing and Testing your Application, then read How to Get Started to get a sense of what you can do with your Hydra Head.

For those developers who want to or need to work on the hydra-head gem itself, see the Instructions for Contributors

The Hydra Framework would not exist without the extensive design effort undertaken by representatives of repository initiatives from Stanford University, University of Virginia, University of Hull and MediaShelf LLC. Contributors to that effort include Tom Cramer, Lynn McRae, Martha Sites, Richard Green, Chris Awre, and Matt Zumwalt.

Thorny Staples from Fedora Commons & DuraSpace deserves special thanks for putting all of these people in the same room together.