X-Road

Everton Zanella Alvarenga

04.07.2025

Barcamp

Secure Data Exchange Platform

What is X-Road

X-Road is an open-source data exchange layer that enables secure, standardized, and decentralized communication between information systems.

Confidentiality

Ensures that data is only accessible to authorized parties through strong encryption and mutual authentication.

Interoperability

Enables different systems and organizations to securely exchange data using standardized protocols and service contracts.

Integrity

Guarantees that data is not altered in transit by using digital signatures and tamper-proof logging.

Born in Estonia (2001): X-Road was first developed to help government agencies share information securely and efficiently.
International Collaboration: Today, it’s maintained by the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS), enabling cross-border cooperation, especially among Nordic and Baltic countries.
Trusted Data Exchange: it enables automated, real-time, and verifiable data sharing between trusted organizations, making processes faster and safer.
Public Sector Roots, Broader Impact: While its main focus is on digital government services, X-Road is flexible and can be used by private companies and other sectors.

Estonia & Finland
- Cross-border data exchange since 2018 (first EU nations to do so)
Germany
- In 2025, Schleswig-Holstein has partnered with NIIS to enhance digital infrastructure
Iceland, Japan, Brazil, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan etc.
- See case studies