Explanation of FHIR's Canonical URL and Resolution via Simplifier.net

Details

In FHIR resource definitions, each conformance resource possesses a canonical URL that acts as its unique identifier. This article details the technical nature of this URL and how it can be made accessible to general users and systems. Specifically, it outlines using a service called simplifier.net to enable URL resolution via standard web browsers. To implement this mechanism, one must run a simple script on the domain that forwards the requested URL to https://simplifier.net/resolve, passing the appropriate canonical URL and scope (a package or project for finding the resource) as parameters. The article also includes numerous specific examples related to FHIR, such as structure definitions like de.gematik.isik@6.0.0, and concepts of base URLs for erezept-workflow or MedizininformatikInitiative-Modul-Intensivmedizin. This information serves as a concrete implementation example and reference point for building healthcare IT systems using FHIR. The content is primarily a technical explanation, making it useful for developers and system architects looking to deepen their understanding of the FHIR specification.