# An overview of the RDKit
## What is it?
### Open source toolkit for cheminformatics
- Business-friendly BSD license
- Core data structures and algorithms in C++
- Python 3.x wrappers generated using Boost.Python
- Java and C\# wrappers generated with SWIG
- JavaScript wrappers of most-important functionality
- 2D and 3D molecular operations
- Descriptor generation for machine learning
- Molecular database cartridge for PostgreSQL
- Cheminformatics nodes for KNIME (distributed from the KNIME community site: https://www.knime.com/rdkit)
### Operational:
- http://www.rdkit.org
- Supports Mac/Windows/Linux
- Major releases every 6 months, minor release about once a month
- Web presence:
- Homepage: https://www.rdkit.org
Documentation, links
- Github (https://github.com/rdkit)
Downloads, discussion, bug tracker, git repository
- Sourceforge (https://sourceforge.net/projects/rdkit)
Mailing lists
- Blog (https://greglandrum.github.io/rdkit-blog/)
Tips, tricks, random stuff
- KNIME integration (https://github.com/rdkit/knime-rdkit)
RDKit nodes for KNIME
- Mailing lists at https://sourceforge.net/p/rdkit/mailman/, searchable archives available for [rdkit-discuss](http://www.mail-archive.com/rdkit-discuss@lists.sourceforge.net/) and [rdkit-devel](http://www.mail-archive.com/rdkit-devel@lists.sourceforge.net/)
- Social media:
- BlueSky: @rdkit.bsky.social
- Mastodon: rdkit@mastodon.social
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8192558
- Slack: https://rdkit.slack.com (invite required, contact Greg)
## Citing the RDKit
There is no official RDKit publication, our recommended citation is:
```
RDKit: Open-source cheminformatics. https://www.rdkit.org
```
We also recommend that you include the DOI for the version of the RDKit you used in the work. You can look these up here:
[https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.591637](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.591637)
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## Integration with other open-source projects
- [KNIME](https://www.knime.com/rdkit): Workflow and analytics tool
- [PostgreSQL](https://github.com/rdkit/rdkit/blob/master/Docs/Book/Cartridge.rst): Extensible relational database
- [Django](http://django-rdkit.readthedocs.org/en/latest/): "The web framework for perfectionists with deadlines"
- [SQLite](https://github.com/rvianello/chemicalite): "The most used database engine in the world"
- [Lucene](https://github.com/rdkit/org.rdkit.lucene): Text-search engine [^footnote1]
## The Contrib Directory
The Contrib directory, part of the standard RDKit distribution, includes code that has been contributed by members of the community.
[^footnote1]: These implementations are functional but are not necessarily the best, fastest, or most complete.
## License
This document is copyright (C) 2013-2024 by Greg Landrum
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/> or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
The intent of this license is similar to that of the RDKit itself. In simple words: “Do whatever you want with it, but please give us some credit.â€