FAQs

1. It’s available on an open-source licence: OpenCRVS uses the Mozilla Public Licence 2.0. Practically, this means:
   • No licence fees
   • The code is publicly available for anyone to use
   • Countries are not tied to one specific vendor to implement OpenCRVS
2. Our use of open-standards: OpenCRVS uses a number of open standards that facilitate interoperability and data exchange with other systems. This means that OpenCRVS works easily with other eGov systems such as health and National ID, enabling additional value-add use cases such as being able to receive birth notifications from a health system and verifying a family member’s ID.

Definitely not. Open source is a way of developing and distributing software - it does not refer to its security capabilities or sharing data openly. The code is often written collaboratively, and it can be downloaded, used and modified by anyone. With more people able to look at the code it actually means that any security vulnerabilities are more likely to be found and resolved.

The OpenCRVS Team is here to manage, maintain and make publicly available the “core” OpenCRVS product. The core product can be configured, which means implementers can make choices about how the system works in a specific country context through an easy-to-use configuration panel which presents options for application settings, form fields and certificates.

Customisation is different from configuration and involves software developers modifying the actual code. This implies a “fork” in the code, so when upgrades and enhancements are made to the core product, software developers are needed to ensure these updates can be applied to the local implementation, increasing the total cost of ownership. We recommend that implementations are closely aligned to the core product, and if significant customisations are required to meet local needs, that you speak to the OpenCRVS Team to explore how this can be done and merged with core.

For more details on how to configure OpenCRVS, check out the OpenCRVS Documentation.

The size, geography, population, infrastructure and complexity of legacy systems in a country all need to be considered when planning implementation of OpenCRVS. Each country needs to consider their own context to define what activities are required, how long it will take, and how much it will cost.

For countries with ineffective systems and low completeness rates, we recommend that OpenCRVS is implemented as part of a CRVS digital transformation programme, looking holistically at organisation, people, and systems to realise the benefits of digitisation and sustained improvements in CRVS. To read more about a phased approach to CRVS digital transformation, see What does implementation involve?

While there are no licence fees for OpenCRVS, there are costs associated with each phase of implementation, from system development through to deployment at scale and ongoing operations.. For a breakdown of these costs, see What are the costs?

We have worked hard to minimise the resources and skills required to setup your own OpenCRVS instance. See resource requirements below:

Installation and deployment: You will need a working knowledge of Linux / Unix operating systems and be able to run terminal commands. OpenCRVS consists of multiple servers which run in Docker containers and requires Node JS. You should be familiar with the concepts of Docker and Node JS web application software development.

Configuration of the application, including forms and certificates: A Business Analyst with a good understanding of the CRVS business processes will be able to configure the application without any specific technical skills (note that the certificate templates are required in SVG format).

For more details on what team is needed to setup, configure, manage and maintain the product, check out Establish a team, in the OpenCRVS Documentation.

OpenCRVS will be making training available in Q3 of 2023. To express interest and book your slot on a training course, email team@opencrvs.org