Getting started

Aleph is a powerful data engine built with investigative reporting in mind. It combines different types of data into a simple search interface.

Aleph contains an ever-growing collection of datasets relevant for finding connections among people, companies, and other assets relevant to investigative journalists. Learn how to search through this vast corpus of data by following the steps outlined here:

With Aleph, organizations can put all kinds of data - from a procurement dataset to a leaked trove of emails - into a single place. This documentation helps people who want to upload, share, and manage data on Aleph.

Part of the Aleph toolkit has been Aleph Data Desktop, a tool to sketch out networks of companies, people and their relationships on your own computer. As of September 2022, Data Desktop has been deprecated and we do not recommend creating new network diagrams in Data Desktop, but we will keep documentation online for existing users and users looking to export their network diagrams from Data Desktop to Aleph.

Check out the FAQ to fill in any gaps that are unclear. And feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

There’s also a section for developers and people who want to run their own Aleph system.

If you have problems using Aleph, or want to suggest some future extensions for the toolkit, join our community and chime in: