Epic Hyperspace vs Hyperdrive: what changes for your integration?
Hyperdrive is the web-based framework Epic moved its Hyperspace client to. For a third-party product the real question is whether your integration still works inside it. Epic's own documentation says some integration types need code changes and others do not; this guide sorts them and shows how to test.
Which Epic integrations change between Hyperspace and Hyperdrive?
Quick answer
Epic Hyperspace vs Epic Hyperdrive matters to integrators because Epic states that COM-based Hyperspace integrations must be updated for Hyperdrive and that embedded or launched web apps may need changes, while HL7, web services, DICOM, XML file drop and SMART on FHIR do not. Agnotic Technologies tests and updates integrations for both clients.
| Criterion | Hyperspace | Hyperdrive |
|---|---|---|
| COM-based APIs | Built for the desktop client | Must be updated to work with Hyperdrive |
| Web app hosted inside the client (iframe or embedded window) | Renders in the Hyperspace client | May require changes; check with Epic's Prepare Web Content for Hyperdrive document and the Web Developer Test Harness |
| Web app launched from the client | Launches from Hyperspace | May require changes |
| SMART on FHIR launch | Supported | No changes required |
| HL7 interfaces | Supported | No changes required |
| Web services | Supported | No changes required |
| DICOM | Supported | No changes required |
| XML file drop and outgoing command line | Supported | No changes required |
| XML context synchronization (PACS and CPACS) | Supported | Epic expects it to work identically |
| Speech recognition | Speech Recognition API for Epic controls and views | Adds Speech Recognition for Embedded Applications, where Hyperdrive relays messages to web apps iframed inside it |
| Build compatibility | A Hyperdrive build may not work here | Support both clients, or run side by side, until every customer has moved |
What they are
What is Hyperspace
Hyperspace is Epic's primary end-user application, and Epic's integration specifications still use the name for user sessions, activities and windows. Integrations written for the desktop Hyperspace client, especially COM-based ones, are the ones Epic flags for rework.
What is Hyperdrive
Epic describes Hyperdrive as a secure, Epic-specific web browser that includes a Windows-native plugin infrastructure for integrations with other products. Epic states that code-level changes are required for web- and desktop-based Hyperspace integrations to work with it.
Key differences
Why do COM-based integrations need rework?
Epic's Hyperdrive page states that existing products integrating with Hyperspace through COM-based APIs will need to be updated. Hyperdrive brings its own Windows-native plugin infrastructure, and Epic publishes Hyperdrive-era specifications for desktop work, such as the Subspace Communication Framework for asynchronous integrations, e-signature, scan acquisition and desktop authentication. Plan the move as a re-integration against those specifications, not a recompile.
What changes for a web app inside the Epic client?
A web app can be hosted in an iframe or in a Hyperdrive embedded window, and Epic says either may need changes. The Hyperdrive Web Developer Test Harness shows how your site presents in both before it reaches production, and Epic's Prepare Web Content for Hyperdrive document lists what to check. Epic also publishes specifications for enterprise browser printing and mTLS client recognition, which show where web content inside the client behaves differently from a plain browser.
Does a SMART on FHIR app need any work?
Epic lists SMART on FHIR among the integration types that do not require changes. The launch itself follows the HL7 SMART App Launch framework, which connects third-party apps to EHR data and lets them launch from inside the EHR, so the protocol is client-neutral. Still test the launch on Hyperdrive, because the page your app renders is now inside Epic's web-based client.
Why build for both clients at the same time?
Epic warns that integrations developed for Hyperdrive may not work with the Hyperspace client, and asks vendors to support both or be side-by-side compatible on the same workstation or server until all customers have moved. During a transition both clients are installed on the same workstations, with some users on each, so your installer and configuration need to handle both.
When to use each
When to use Epic Hyperspace
- Keep a Hyperspace-compatible build while any customer still has users on the Hyperspace client.
- Run side by side with your Hyperdrive build on the same workstation during a customer's mixed-client period.
- Use Hyperspace for Mac, which Epic offers for its client test harness, to test URL launches such as SMART on FHIR, HTTP GET and SAML.
When to use Epic Hyperdrive
- Every new client-side integration with Epic, since Epic states that most organizations moved their users to Hyperdrive in 2022 and 2023.
- Any web app that is embedded in, iframed in or launched from the Epic client.
- Desktop integrations such as scan acquisition, e-signature, speech recognition or authentication devices, which have Hyperdrive-specific specifications.
How do you test an integration for Hyperdrive?
1. Classify every touchpoint. List each way your product meets Epic (COM call, embedded web page, URL launch, HL7 feed, web service, file drop) and place it in the table above. Only the COM and client-hosted web rows need build work.
2. Run the Hyperdrive Client Test Harness. Epic lists its supported workflows as e-signature, login, voice recognition, scan acquisition, scan viewing, scan signature deficiencies, FHIRcast, XML and web content integration. Add cases as Epic extends the harness.
3. Render web content in the Web Developer Test Harness, both as an iframe and as a Hyperdrive embedded window, and fix anything that breaks before go-live.
4. Pick the right machine. Hyperspace for Mac reaches the client harness, but Epic notes most client integrations only work on Windows, so keep Mac testing to SMART on FHIR, HTTP GET and SAML launches and test everything else on a Windows workstation or VM.
5. Test the mixed-client period. Install your Hyperspace build and your Hyperdrive build on one workstation with both Epic clients present and confirm they do not interfere.
6. Test published deployments. When a customer runs Hyperdrive as a published application, Epic says Slingshot can make some integrations available on the endpoint device; confirm yours is one of them in the harness documentation.