Clinical Data Repositories¶
Clinical data repositories (CDRs) store patient data in openEHR format. They expose REST APIs and support AQL queries.
EHRbase (vitagroup / Hannover Medical School)¶
| Status | Current - primary open-source CDR |
| Cost | Free (Apache 2.0) |
| Open source | Yes |
| Platform | Java / PostgreSQL - runs anywhere, Docker image available |
| Owner and steward | EHRbase project, supported by vitagroup |
| Available from | EHRbase download |
| Source | github.com/ehrbase/ehrbase |
| Commercial support | Available through vitagroup (HIP EHRbase, HIP CDR) |
| Sandbox | sandkiste.ehrbase.org - free public sandbox |
What it is: An open-source openEHR clinical data repository developed through the EHRbase project, vitagroup, Hannover Medical School, and HiGHmed.
What it does: It provides a standards-compliant openEHR server with REST API support, an AQL query engine, template management, composition storage, and EHR management.
Who should use it: Developers or organisations building openEHR applications that need a backend. The sandbox is a useful way to get started without a local installation.
Better Platform (Better, formerly Marand)¶
| Status | Active - commercial |
| Cost | Commercial |
| Open source | No |
| Platform | Cloud / on-premise |
| Owner and developer | Better |
| Available from | Better Platform |
What it is: A comprehensive commercial openEHR platform from Better. It includes a CDR, the EHR Studio toolset for AQL querying and composition management, and associated SDK tooling.
Who should use it: Enterprises and healthcare providers wanting a full-service openEHR platform with commercial support and enterprise features.
EHRServer (Cabolabs)¶
| Status | Active |
| Cost | Free / open source |
| Open source | Yes |
| Platform | Grails / Java - self-hostable |
| Owner and developer | CaboLabs |
| Available from | CaboLabs EHRServer |
| Source | github.com/ppazos/cabolabs-ehrserver |
What it is: An open-source, service-oriented openEHR CDR from Cabolabs. It provides a secure REST API supporting JSON and XML, with query capabilities.
Who should use it: Smaller projects and teams wanting a lighter-weight alternative to EHRbase, particularly in Latin America where Cabolabs is active.