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SPECIFICTION
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yente

yente.followthemoney.tech

WebLinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit yente.followthemoney.tech
Spec score 7.0 #18 of 24 in Sanctions Screening Software

What it is

Yente is an open-source API for searching, retrieving, and matching people, companies, and other entities against watchlists. It uses OpenSanctions data by default and can work with company registries or custom watchlists. Operators can add datasets, choose which OpenSanctions data to index, and set scopes in a manifest; custom datasets must be line-based JSON feeds of FollowTheMoney entities. By default, Yente checks for updated OpenSanctions data hourly and reindexes when a new build is available. It can run on premises, keeping customer query data within the deployment context, and supports Elasticsearch and OpenSearch. The project provides Docker containers and example Docker Compose and Kubernetes configurations. Documentation estimates 800 MB of memory per Python service, plus 4–16 GB of memory and 10–30 GB of disk for the Elasticsearch index. Default matching limits are 100 entities per batch and 500 results per query. Yente is released under the MIT License. Commercial use of OpenSanctions data requires a data license subscription; non-commercial and exempt users may access the civic manifest. It provides health endpoints and supports OpenTelemetry metrics and traces. The project welcomes issue reports and contributions on GitHub.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Yente is an open-source screening API for searching, retrieving, and matching people, companies, and other entities against watchlists.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Deployment
The project provides pre-built Docker containers and example Docker Compose and Kubernetes configurations.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Privacy
The documentation says an on-premises deployment can keep customer data from leaving the deployment context.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
License
Yente is released under the MIT License.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Headquarters
Berlin, GermanyRead 28 Sep 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Founded
2023Read 28 Sep 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
API functions
The API supports searching, retrieving, and matching FollowTheMoney entities.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
API limits
Default configuration accepts at most 100 entities per match batch and returns at most 500 results per match query.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Commercial data licensing
The documentation says commercial use of OpenSanctions data requires a license subscription; non-commercial users and users exempt from commercial licensing may use the civic manifest.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Commercial data use
Commercial use of the OpenSanctions dataset requires a data license; the documentation says non-commercial users and exempt users can access OpenSanctions data directly.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Custom datasets
Users can add datasets, limit which OpenSanctions data is indexed, and define custom scopes through a manifest file.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Data format
Custom datasets must be line-based JSON feeds of FollowTheMoney entities.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Data source
By default, Yente fetches the OpenSanctions database, and it can also use other datasets such as company registries and custom watchlists.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Data sources
Yente provides access to OpenSanctions data by default and can also search and match company registries or custom watchlists.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Data updates
By default, Yente checks for updated OpenSanctions data hourly and reindexes when a new build is available.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Infrastructure requirements
The documentation estimates 800 MB of memory per Python service and 4–16 GB of memory plus 10–30 GB of disk for the Elasticsearch index.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Monitoring
Yente provides /healthz and /readyz health endpoints and supports OpenTelemetry metrics and traces.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
On-premises
Yente can run on-premises so customer query data stays within the deployment context.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Search backend
Yente supports Elasticsearch and OpenSearch backends.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Search backends
Yente supports Elasticsearch and OpenSearch backends.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Self-hosting
Yente can run on premises as a KYC appliance so customer data stays within the deployment context.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech
Support and contributions
The project welcomes issue reports and contributions on GitHub.Read 8 Oct 2026 · yente.followthemoney.tech

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Open-source software under the MIT License
  • Supports custom datasets and scopes
  • Can run on premises
  • Supports Elasticsearch and OpenSearch
  • Includes batch screening and ongoing monitoring

Limits

  • Commercial OpenSanctions use requires a license subscription
  • Default batch matching limit is 100 entities
  • Transaction screening is not included

Who it suits

Yente suits teams building API-based screening workflows with watchlists or custom datasets, particularly when they need to run the service on premises.

Verdict

Yente offers a configurable screening API with self-hosting and multiple dataset options. Account for its matching limits and the OpenSanctions licensing requirement for commercial use.

Where Specifiction places it

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