Development of a multi-platform metabarcoding bioinformatics software with an easy-to-use graphical user interface

Abstract

Metabarcoding, a widely adopted technique in molecular ecology, enables the simultaneous identification of organisms from environmental samples. However, the sheer volume of sequencing data generated by metabarcoding, diverse DNA markers and sequencing platforms introduces complexity during downstream bioinformatic processing. Existing bioinformatic tools for metabarcoding data analysis often operate via command line interfaces, involve intricate installation procedures and lack cross-platform compatibility. To address these challenges, we introduce PipeCraft2, a novel software package developed using state-of-the-art tools such as Docker, Electron, and Vue.js. Key features of PipeCraft2 include straightforward installation, cross-platform support, an intuitive graphical user interface, four distinct pipelines, and a range of individual modules.