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Integration Architecture Overview

What is the Integration Architecture?

The Integration Architecture (IA), also referred to as the Data Sharing Infrastructure (DSI), is an open-source framework that enables secure, trusted and interoperable data exchange between organisations.

It provides a structured, policy-driven environment in which organisations can share data without centralising ownership or relinquishing governance control.

The IA is:

  • Cloud-agnostic
  • Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) deployable
  • Interoperable by design
  • Governed through explicit trust relationships

Each participating organisation deploys one or more IA Nodes (N1s), which together form governed data-sharing networks (N2s).
 

Architectural Model

The IA operates at multiple architectural levels.

IA Node (N1)

An IA Node (N1) is the foundational deployment unit. It enables an organisation to:

  • Participate in trusted data-sharing networks
  • Exchange data securely with other nodes
  • Enforce governance and policy controls locally

An N1 contains the components necessary to meet interoperability and compliance requirements.

A minimal N1 may omit certain optional components, but any N1 participating in a Node Net (N2) must include the mandatory trust components (such as a Federator).

Management Node

A specialised N1 that establishes and governs a trust domain. It is responsible for:

  • Issuing trust materials
  • Validating participating organisations
  • Registering nodes into a Node Net
  • Enforcing governance policy

Node Net (N2)

A Node Net (N2) is a governed network of interoperable N1s operating under a Management Node. An N2 provides:

  • A controlled trust domain
  • Policy-driven data exchange
  • Shared communication standards
  • A common model of organisational identity and rights

Admission to an N2 requires compliance with minimum interoperability requirements.

National Node Net (N3) (Planned)

A future national-scale trust ecosystem comprising multiple N2s. Anchored by a Control Node, the N3 will:

  • Provide national trust anchoring
  • Support discovery of recognised N1s and N2s
  • Govern cross-sector interoperability

This capability is planned and will evolve over time.

Key Components

The IA is delivered through multiple open-source components, each maintained in its own repository. These include:

Federator (Available)

Enables secure API-based data exchange between IA Nodes and enforces minimum trust requirements.

Adapter / Connect Extract Component (Available)

Integrates source systems into an IA Node and prepares data for secure processing.

Secure Agent (In Development)

Handles secure storage, projection and controlled exposure of adapted data.

Access Application (In Development)

Provides organisational identity and attribute management to support policy enforcement.

Management Node (Available)

Establishes and governs trust domains.

Policy Engine (Planned)

Intended to evaluate and enforce policies across organisations.

Additional repositories provide:

  • Logging and audit
  • Monitoring and observability
  • Catalogue and discovery tools
  • Governance utilities
  • Deployment and orchestration helpers

All components follow semantic versioning. This documentation describes only the latest version of each component.

Deployment Model

The IA is deployed as Infrastructure as Code and is cloud-agnostic. Reference deployments are available for:

  • AWS
  • Azure

Support for GCP is in development. Deployments must meet interoperability requirements to participate in governed Node Nets (N2s).

Documentation Structure

This documentation follows the Diátaxis framework:

  • How-to Guides – Practical deployment and operation instructions
  • Reference – Technical detail and configuration
  • Explanations – Architectural and conceptual material

This Overview introduces the IA ecosystem.

For more information on the node's internal functions, see Understanding a single IA node