Data Exchange Layer FAQ

The information available through the Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer is described under the subsystems in the API CatalogueOpens in a new window.. The API Catalogue presents all organisations that have joined the Data Exchange Layer and the services they offer as well as the services’ technical information and the adminsitrator's contact information. Note, that you have to agree on the use of the services with the organisation that provides the service. The deployment processes and the agreement the deployment requires varies according to the organisation. Data Exchange Layer provides only a technical solution for using the services. Organisations that have joined the Data Exchange Layer are responsible for documenting their services to API Catalogue.

The purpose of the Data Exchange Layer is to help service providers and implementers develop more efficient electronic services and support the reuse of data. The API Catalogue describes the electronic services that allow data processed in these services to also be used in information systems of other organisations.

Joining the test or production environment of the Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer and certificates used in the environments are free of charge for the joining party.

However, the customer organisation is responsible for the costs of technical changes that might be needed, for example the security server and the necessary modifications to the interfaces.

That is not possible, you must first join the test environment before joining the production environment. However, the organisation can join the test and production environments simultaneously.

After you have tested the Data Exchange Layer in the test environment and your user permit application for the production environment has been approved, your organisation can move to the production environment.

The security server's FQDN is used to connect.

An adapter service is a component located between the X-Road security server and the connected information system that adapts the services provided by the connected system to the format of the X-Road communication protocol used by the Data Exchange Layer.

The X-Road adapter service and its implementation are described in a separate support article:

Learn more about the adapter service and how to implement it.

We always recommend using the HTTPS protocol. If you wish, you can use the HTTP protocol in the development environment. By using the HTTPS protocol, you can ensure that the connection between the security server and the information system is secure.

Using the HTTPS protocol between your organisation’s information system and the security server is important because the encryption included in the Data Exchange Layer software only covers the connection between security servers. Using the HTTPS protocol and client certificates is mandatory when the same security server is used by multiple organisations.

The client organisation is responsible for encrypting the connection between the security server and the information system and for general information security. If all connections are not encrypted, the security of the connection is reduced remarkably.

There is no limitations for the size of the messages. However, Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer is primarly designed for real-time data exchange instead of mass data transfers. In practise, it is therefore better to split very large messages into several parts.

Currently, the Data Exchange Layer's test and production environments support Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and 22.04 LTS as well as RHEL 7 and 8 Linux distributions when using a security server based on a host server. If you are using a Security Server Sidecar, you can use any Linux distribution.

In the development environment, the use of distributions that are not officially supported (e.g. CentOS) is also possible. In this case, the organisation itself will always assume responsibility for use. The Data Exchange Layer’s maintenance team does not provide support for solving problems that may arise from the use of platforms that are not officially supported.