nf-co2footprint plugin development & integration 🌱
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tooling

Summary

The nf-co2footprint plugin estimates the CO₂ equivalent emissions of workflow runs. After our first stable release, we are now focusing on integrating the plugin into as many nf-core pipelines as possible to make energy and carbon tracking a standard feature across the community. In parallel, we are implementing several final refinements and additional features for the next release, and we warmly invite contributions and feedback from the community. Our goal is to raise individual and collective awareness within the nf-core community about the environmental impact of computational research and to encourage more sustainable software development practices.

Goals

Update your configs with parameters for accurate CO₂ emission estimations
Advance the plugin with respect to its integration into nf-core and cloud platforms

Tasks

⚙️ Add nf-co2footprint to your config files
This can be as easy as adding the plugin ID to your institution’s config, but accuracy may improve by supplying additional parameters.
Let’s do it together and discuss how this process could be streamlined for other plugin users.
☁️ Improve support for AWS and other cloud providers
This includes several sub-tasks such as:
- Adding S3 output support
- Automatically detecting the active AWS region and instance type
- Extending the CPU TDP reference table with corresponding cloud hardware specifications
Align the plugin config syntax with standard Nextflow style
Ensure consistency, readability, and seamless integration with existing configurations.
Reduce CO₂ footprint of nf-co2footprint itself
Evaluate and optimize the plugin’s own computational impact to make its operation as efficient and sustainable as possible.
nf-core 🤝 nf-co2footprint plugin
As our long-term goal is to make the plugin an integral part of the nf-core framework, we are always open to suggestions, feedback, and ideas that help us move in that direction.