X-Road Data Exchange Layer

X-Road® is an open-source software and ecosystem solution that provides unified and secure data exchange between organisations. It has been deployed in over twenty countries primarily as a national or regional data exchange layer by the public government.

X-Road is a unified, cohesive, collaborative, interoperable, and secure data exchange layer that gives service providers an entirely new opportunity to make themselves visible in services directed at citizens, businesses, and civil servants. Creating entities that combine many different services and data sources is easy and cost-efficient.

Governments, companies or other organisations operate the X-Road ecosystems (instances) worldwide. The ecosystems are not technically connected with each other because each ecosystem is independent with its rules and regulations, allowing operating securely and according to the respective country's legislation.

The ecosystem may be nationwide or limited to organisations meeting specific criteria, e.g., clients of a commercial service provider. Technically, the X-Road software does not limit the size of the ecosystem or the Member organisations.

Although X-Road ecosystems are independent technical and administrational instances, since 2014 (version 6), X-Road has included a feature called Trust Federation for joining together two X-Road ecosystems.

Members of the federated ecosystems can publish and consume services with each other as if they were Members of the same ecosystem. In the most common deployment model, the Members can use the same technical gateway for national and cross-border data exchange.

X-Road core software and solution is developed by the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS), a non-profit association with the mission to ensure the development and strategic management of X-Road and other cross-border solutions for digital government infrastructure.

NIIS is both a network and cooperation platform and executioner of IT developments in members' common interests. The institute focuses on practical collaboration, sharing of experience and promoting innovation. The operating model of the institute is something unique in the world.

The republics of Estonia, Finland and Iceland are members of NIIS, and the Faroe Islands and the Government of Åland are partners of NIIS.