Changes in prioritization may cause the development roadmap to change – NIIS may introduce new features and/or postpone implementation of current features. The X-Road product backlog is prioritized by the X-Road Steering Committee.

2024–2031

The X-Road core development roadmap for 2024–2031 is presented in figure 1.

X-Road 8 “Spaceship” 🚀

X-Road 8 nurtures the proven ecosystem model and security while it takes X-Road to the next level by providing a solid data space infrastructure.

NIIS aims to replace X-Road’s custom protocol stack with the data space protocol stack and make X-Road technically interoperable with the Gaia-X Trust Framework. In general, X-Road 8 will be interoperable with other data spaces and data exchange ecosystems following the same specifications.

X-Road 8 will provide improved cloud compatibility and make using X-Road easier in the cloud. In practice, X-Road 8 will be designed and built to leverage the capabilities and advantages of cloud computing environments. X-Road 8 will be built to run in cloud infrastructures and take advantage of the scalability, flexibility, and resilience that cloud platforms offer.

Light context will be a new feature that provides a more lightweight way to consume services without a Security Server on the consumer side. Service providers will be able to decide which services can be accessed using the light context and which services require a consumer Security Server.

The aim is to ensure smooth integration with previous X-Road versions for backwards compatibility, and minimize the changes required for information systems when transitioning to X-Road 8.

The first X-Road 8 beta version was published in October 2025 and the first production release is scheduled for Q4 / 2026.

X-Road 8 is being implemented iteratively using agile software development methods. Not all changes are included in the first production release. Instead, they will be introduced gradually over time in various X-Road 8 minor releases. For example, technical interoperability with the Gaia-X Trust Framework and Light Context is not included in the initial X-Road 8 release, but will be introduced in a later minor release.