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Developing Healthcare with DevSecOps: HepaAssist Case Study

· 2 min read
Pascal Nehlsen
Pascal Nehlsen
DevSecOps Engineer

HepaAssist represents a comprehensive approach to building healthcare software that meets both functional requirements and stringent security standards. This case study explores the DevSecOps practices implemented in this multi-tenant platform.

Architecture Overview​

Backend with FastAPI​

Using Python's FastAPI framework, we built a high-performance backend with automatic OpenAPI documentation. The async/await patterns ensure efficient database operations and responsive API endpoints.

Multi-Tenant Design​

Complete data isolation between healthcare facilities is achieved through tenant-aware database queries. Each facility's data remains strictly separated, ensuring compliance with healthcare privacy regulations.

DevSecOps Pipeline​

GitHub Actions Automation​

Our CI/CD pipeline automates the entire deployment process:

  • Multi-stage Docker builds for optimized images
  • Automated testing and security scanning
  • Container registry integration with GitHub Container Registry
  • SSH-based deployment to production servers

Container Orchestration​

Docker Compose manages complex multi-service architectures with health checks and dependency management. This ensures reliable startup sequences and automatic recovery from failures.

Security Implementation​

Authentication & Authorization​

JWT-based authentication with role-based access control supports different user types: administrators, staff, and residents. Secure password hashing and session management protect sensitive healthcare data.

Data Protection​

GDPR-compliant data handling includes encryption at rest and in transit. Audit logging tracks all data access and modifications for compliance purposes.

Challenges & Solutions​

Healthcare Compliance​

Meeting healthcare regulations required implementing strict access controls and comprehensive audit trails. Our solution uses database-level tenant isolation and encrypted data storage.

Scalability​

As the platform grows, we've designed for horizontal scaling with load balancing and database connection pooling ready for implementation.

Key Achievements​

  • Production Deployment: Live platform serving multiple healthcare facilities
  • Automated Deployments: Zero-downtime updates via CI/CD pipeline
  • Security Compliance: Healthcare-grade security measures implemented
  • Scalable Architecture: Ready for enterprise-level usage

This project demonstrates how DevSecOps principles can create robust, secure software solutions for critical sectors like healthcare.