Ten common misconceptions about Galaxy (and why they are wrong!)

Abstract

Galaxy is a widely used open-source platform for accessible, reproducible, transparent and scalable data analysis in the life sciences and beyond. Despite its growing adoption across domains, several misconceptions persist about its scope, usability, scalability and relevance to academia and industry. In this manuscript, we identify and address 10 common misconceptions about Galaxy, ranging from the belief that it is limited to genomics, lacks scalability, or is only useful for teaching, to doubts about its ability to support secure data analysis or maintain high software quality as a free and open-source project. We refute each misconception with present evidence based on Galaxy’s technical features, real-world use cases, user communities and governance structures. We show that Galaxy is a mature and versatile platform capable of supporting cutting-edge scientific research, education and even clinical workflows across a wide variety of disciplines. By clarifying existing misconceptions, we aim to help researchers, educators, developers and decision-makers better appreciate Galaxy’s capabilities and potential within their fields.