Putting your middleware on steroids with DSpace 7+ REST API

For many institutions, highly customized DSpace code has long been necessary to handle complex integration requirements—a practice that often results in technical debt and impedes upgrades to DSpace installations. Since DSpace 7, however, the decoupling of the front end (DSpace Angular) and back end (DSpace REST) has fundamentally changed the way integrations can be managed. By "consuming its own dog food," the DSpace community now channels all DSpace UI operations through the comprehensive and well-documented DSpace 7 REST API. In this proposal, we present a real-world implementation that demonstrates how data from a third-party business process can be seamlessly ingested into DSpace based on robust business rules—without any modifications to the core DSpace code. Instead, we leverage simple Bash scripts that interface with the DSpace 7 REST API, showcasing a sustainable approach to complex integrations that avoids the pitfalls of traditional code customization. We will discuss the design, implementation, and impact of this solution, highlighting best practices and lessons learned to help others optimize their own DSpace integrations.