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Overview

FHIR packages (often called IG packages) are the standard way to distribute conformance resources:
  • StructureDefinition (profiles and extensions)
  • ValueSet and CodeSystem (terminology)
  • SearchParameter, OperationDefinition, CapabilityStatement, …
In practice they’re delivered as FHIR NPM packages (a .tgz archive with a package.json and resource files).
Spec reference: https://hl7.org/fhir/packages.html

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Why packages matter

Packages are what turn “base FHIR” into real-world interoperability:
  • National and regional implementation guides (e.g. US Core)
  • Domain IGs (e.g. IPS)
  • Organization-specific profiles and extensions
When you validate or implement against an IG, you’re usually consuming its package.

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What you’ll commonly do with packages

  • Install a package (and its dependencies)
  • Generate snapshots for profiles (if needed)
  • Validate instances against profiles from that package
  • Use terminology resources (ValueSets/CodeSystems) shipped in the package

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Next

  • How packages constrain resources: Profiles
  • How packages enable coded interoperability: Terminology