This page is part of the FHIR for FAIR - FHIR Implementation Guide (v0.1.0: STU 1 (FHIR R4b) Ballot 1) based on FHIR v4.1.0. The current version which supercedes this version is 1.0.0. For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions

Deployments

Overview

This page provides a short overview of a non-exhaustive list of possible logical deployment architectures that communities could consider allowing the discovery and access to FAIR data by using HL7 FHIR API; starting from a simple case where a well-known FHIR server is acting as registry and repository for data and metadata, up to the case where repository endpoints are not known a-priori and needs to be discovered.

This is not the only possible approach, for example hybrid FHIR/non-FHIR solutions could be considered as well.

It is assumed that a proper privacy and security layer is realized to assure that all the access and usage conditions specified by the data sources are properly enforced (not shown in the pictures).

Case 1: Well-known Registry/Repository

All data sources store FHIR resources representing data and metadata to be shared in a well-known FHIR server. All potential clients belonging to this community know the endpoint of this well-known FHIR server.

Client uses FHIR API to search and get FHIR resources representing data and/or metadata.

Figure 1 Well-known Registry/Repository

Case 2: Well-known metadata registry

A set of FHIR Servers are used as Data Repository by data sources. A well-known community FHIR server is used to publish appropriate FHIR resources representing metadata.

All potential clients belonging to this community know the endpoint of this well-known FHIR server.

Client uses FHIR API to search and get FHIR resources representing metadata; data references provided by the retrieved resources are then used to get data from the proper data repository (not known a -priori).

Figure 2 Well-known metadata registry

Case 3: Registries/repositories discovering.

The client doesn’t know the end point of the server where metadata and data are stored; it queries then a well-known FHIR server to discover the endpoint fulfilling specific search criteria. This information is then used to search and access data and metadata as described for case 1 and 2.

Figure 3 Registries/repositories discovering.