Synthea
What it is
Synthea is a free, open-source generator that creates synthetic patients and medical histories for research, Health IT development, experimentation, and healthcare policy simulation. Each patient is modeled independently from birth to the present through generic modules covering diseases, conditions, care, and transitions between states. Records can contain medications, allergies, encounters, and social determinants of health. Exports include HL7 FHIR R4, STU3, and DSTU2, C-CDA, and CSV; Bulk FHIR NDJSON and CPCDS are available when enabled in configuration. Users can configure demographics, add generic modules, and create custom Java rule modules. The project offers more than a thousand sample patients and supports building the software to generate additional data. Synthea runs self-hosted and requires Java JDK 17 or newer, with LTS versions 17 or 25 recommended. Generated data is described as realistic but not real and free from privacy restrictions. The project uses Apache License 2.0 and provides a discussion board, GitHub issues, and email support.
For and against
For
- Free and open source
- Multiple healthcare export formats
- Configurable demographics and modules
- More than a thousand sample patients
- Synthetic data without privacy restrictions
Against
- Requires self-hosting
- Requires Java JDK 17 or newer
- Some exports are disabled by default
The verdict
Synthea offers configurable synthetic patient generation with broad healthcare data exports and sample records. Its self-hosted Java requirement makes it a project for technical users rather than a hosted service.
Who it suits
It suits researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and software developers needing configurable synthetic health records. Self-hosting and Java 17 or newer are required.
Plans and prices
Synthea
Open-source synthetic patient generator
Read 8 Oct 2026 · synthetichealth.github.io
On the record
- Additional output
- The repository README lists Bulk FHIR ndjson and CPCDS exports, which are disabled by default and can be enabled in configuration.github.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Customization
- The project supports configuration-based demographics, drop-in generic modules, and custom Java rule modules.github.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Export formats
- The site lists HL7 FHIR R4, STU3 and DSTU2, C-CDA, and CSV exports.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The site identifies researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and software developers as users of the synthetic health data.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- License
- The GitHub README states that Synthea is licensed under Apache License 2.0.github.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Patient lifecycle
- Each patient is simulated independently from birth to the present day using generic modules that model diseases, conditions, care, and transitions between states.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The project describes its generated patient data as realistic but not real and free from privacy restrictions.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Synthea is an open-source generator that simulates synthetic patients and their medical histories.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Record contents
- Patient records can include medications, allergies, encounters, and social determinants of health.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Runtime requirement
- Synthea requires Java JDK 17 or newer; the README recommends LTS versions 17 or 25.github.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Sample data
- The site offers downloads of over a thousand sample patients and says users can build the project to generate their own.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- The Synthea team lists a discussion board, GitHub issues, and the email [email protected] for feedback and help.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- The site describes uses in academic research, Health IT development and experimentation, and healthcare policy simulation.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Website security
- MITRE's site privacy policy says it uses safeguards including encryption and user authentication, while noting it cannot guarantee security of internet transmission or digital storage.synthetichealth.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
