> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://su-termserv.gitbook.io/babelfsh/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://su-termserv.gitbook.io/babelfsh/readme.md).

# BabelFSH

{% hint style="warning" %}
This documentation is very much work-in-progress!
{% endhint %}

BabelFSH is a tool to convert terminological artefacts to HL7 FHIR CodeSystem resources.What sets it apart from purpose-built converters is the use of [FSH (FHIR Shorthand)](https://hl7.org/fhir/uv/shorthand/) as the input format. This allows for a more expressive and concise representation of the artefacts using a language that implementers are already familiar with.

We have found that converting any terminological artefact into FHIR basically always looks the same: first, you define the metadata of the output resource. This may be done in an ugly hard-coded fashion, or sometimes in a more organized way using configuration files etc. Then, when the metadata is defined, the actual content of the resource is generated from the reference source that you are converting (most often, a file or set of files, sometimes a web API or a database).

This is where BabelFSH comes in: it allows you to define the metadata of the output resource in a concise manner, and then generate the content of the resource from the source data in a way that is easy to understand and implement using a specific plugin.

This tool is currently under very active development, and may have bugs. If you are interested in contributing, please reach out to the project maintainer: [Joshua Wiedekopf](mailto:j.wiedekopf@uni-luebeck.de)

{% hint style="info" %}
BabelFSH is licenced via the Apache-2.0 license. We hope it is helpful to you!
{% endhint %}


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