Can anyone point me to a guide for how to get started with OpenEMR deployed on a cloud service? I see at Amazon Web Services Express and Standard Edition, but the costs don’t seem to be readily available. It shows $0.00 for most things, but that can’t be right. If I wanted to do it myself, would AWS be the way to go?
Alternatively, is there some list of reputable companies who will do all that for me?
Hi @caderm ,
I know there are many here who use AWS. I have mine on Google Cloud. The way I did it was by running a Debian 12 server, installing PHP, MariaDB and Apache server, then adding OpenEMR on top of it. I use Google firewall rules to restrict access (SSH and HTTPS) before traffic reaches my machine. I also do scheduled backups, and this has been working well for us.
N.B. I am not an IT
Hello! Great questions. Navigating cloud deployment can definitely be confusing at first.
Professionally Hosted OpenEMR
To answer your second question, yes, there are companies that handle all the technical setup and hosting for you. Our organization, OpenCoreEMR , is a major contributor to the OpenEMR open-source project, and part of our mission is to make the platform accessible to everyone.
Very soon, we will be launching a free, fully hosted version of OpenEMR specifically for U.S.-based solo practitioners, small clinics, and educational settings. There are no servers to manage, no setup, and no cost. It’s a great way to get started immediately while supporting a key partner in the OpenEMR community.
You can learn more at our website: https://opencoreemr.com/ and on the professional vendors page.
DIY Cloud Hosting
Regarding your first question, deploying OpenEMR yourself on a cloud service like AWS is a powerful option if you’re comfortable with server management.
You’re right to be skeptical of the “$0.00” pricing. That refers to the AWS Free Tier , which gives new users a limited amount of resources for the first 12 months. Once you go beyond those limits or the first year ends, you pay for all the services you use (compute, storage, database, etc.). Estimating those costs upfront can be a real challenge, which is why a hosted solution is often easier for those who don’t have technical resources.
Hope this helps you get up and running. Welcome to the community!
Thank you, I am very interested in your OpenCoreEMR free tier for the new practice I am helping set up. I went to your website and tried signing up through the “Get Early Access” button, but when I submit the form, a red box with this message appears: “Something went wrong. Please try again or contact support if the problem persists.” I tried a different browser and inputting a different email but got the same result, so the problem doesn’t appear to be on my end.
Sorry about that @caderm , our onboarding flow is under heavy development. I tested it moments ago and it seems to be stable now. If you don’t mind, please try again. We’d also be happy to engage more directly, of course!