Glossary
What is FHIR backend?
A FHIR backend is a server that uses FHIR resources as the application data model and exposes them through FHIR APIs (REST, GraphQL) along with the application services around them: authentication, authorization, scheduling, notifications, and admin tooling.
In context
A FHIR server (storage and the FHIR REST API) becomes a FHIR backend once it has the production layer that an application needs around it: identity mapping from OAuth tokens to Patient/Practitioner/RelatedPerson/Device resources, role-based authorization that respects clinical relationships, modern client APIs (typically GraphQL alongside REST), workflow primitives (CarePlan scheduling, Tasks), and notification channels (Subscriptions).
A digital health team that picks a FHIR backend gets a clinical data model, an interoperability surface, and an authorization model designed around healthcare relationships, instead of designing all three from a general-purpose backend.
How Fire Arrow handles it
Fire Arrow is a FHIR backend in two editions. Fire Arrow Server is self-contained (HAPI FHIR JPA + PostgreSQL plus the application layer). Fire Arrow Core is the application layer in front of an existing FHIR service.
Related pages
FAQ
Is a FHIR server the same as a FHIR backend?
A FHIR server implements the FHIR storage and REST API. A FHIR backend includes that and the application services around it. The difference is whether you still have to build the auth, GraphQL, scheduling, and admin layers yourself.
