minimo: a linked data and metadata storage system for small labs

minimo is a linked data and metadata storage system for small labs. It combines object storage for large raw data with a document database for metadata. It is simple, low-overhead, and modern. All too often we want to revisit data and struggle with a loss of context: old data is hard to find, hard to understand, hard to fuse. But if good hygiene is applied to the initial data commit process – i.e., if raw data are stored alongside metadata capturing the context in which they were collected or created – much of this trouble can be avoided. minimo encourages this sort of hygiene by providing a customizable interface for storing, linking, and accessing raw data and metadata. It sets the stage for reproducible science in the context of small labs that need a robust but lightweight solution to hygienic data storage. Raw data and metadata should be inseparably linked. This is the central principle of minimo.