An Open Standard for Cryogenic Chain of Custody
Why Open Matters
When a system tracks irreplaceable biological material, the people relying on it deserve to inspect how it works. OpenCryo publishes its complete source code for review by any facility, any auditor, any regulator. Closed systems ask you to trust a vendor. OpenCryo lets you verify.
Your specimen data belongs to your facility and your patients, not to a software vendor. OpenCryo uses an open data format. If you outgrow the platform, want to switch providers, or need to migrate, your data comes with you. No export fees, no proprietary formats.
The Three Layers
OpenCryo consists of three layers, each serving a different purpose.
The OpenCryo Protocol
The OpenCryo Protocol is an open specification for cryogenic chain of custody data, freely available for anyone to implement. It defines how specimens are identified, tracked, transferred, and audited. The protocol is published under the Apache 2.0 license. Competing implementations are encouraged; they strengthen the standard.
The Platform Implementation
The Platform Implementation is a complete, production-grade application that implements the protocol. Released under a Business Source License that protects commercial hosting while ensuring the code converts to a fully open license after four years.
OpenCryo Cloud
OpenCryo Cloud is a fully managed, hosted version for facilities that want digital chain of custody without managing infrastructure.
Federation
OpenCryo's architecture is designed so that independent instances can form inter-cluster relationships for specimen exchange. The data model uses globally unique identifiers with entity prefixes (41 distinct types) and never assumes a single instance is the entire universe.
Two clinics running their own OpenCryo instances will eventually be able to share specimen data directly, with full chain of custody preserved across the boundary. Federation is not an afterthought; it is a first-class architectural requirement that influences every design decision.
Licensing
The protocol specification is Apache 2.0: use it, implement it, build on it, without restriction. The platform implementation uses a Business Source License that permits free self-hosting and internal use while reserving commercial hosting rights. After four years, each version automatically converts to a fully open license. This structure protects the sustainability of OpenCryo Cloud while ensuring the codebase can never be locked away.