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What is the Deutschland Stack?

Explained in brief

  • The Deutschland Stack (D-Stack for short) is not a single product, but a framework for digital public administration. 
  • It links technology, standards and governance into a sovereign infrastructure that includes software solutions ready for direct use. 
  • The aim is to make digital administrative services faster, reusable, and consistently available

The Deutschland Stack is a framework for digital public administration in Germany. It does not describe a single product, but the structured combination of technology, standards and governance. The aim is to make digital administrative services efficient, scalable and usable across all levels of government. The Deutschland Stack is intended not only to cover the technical infrastructure, but also mature software solutions that authorities can reuse.

Why is the Deutschland Stack needed?

The need for the Deutschland Stack arises from three key structural challenges that have so far been slowing down the digitalisation of public administration:

Fragmentation 

  • Many standalone solutions 
  • Different systems at each level 
  • Low levels of reuse

Lack of reuse 

  • Multiple solutions developed for similar services 
  • Few economies of scale 
  • High costs and long implementation times

Poor interoperability 

  • Systems do not communicate with each other 
  • Media discontinuities 
  • Data has to be entered multiple times

The Deutschland Stack is a digital policy project that is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernisation (BMDS). The rollout of the D-Stack was set out in the Coalition Agreement 2025. 

The Deutschland Stack will continue to be developed step by step until 2028. This will create tangible offerings for the Federal Government, the federal states and local authorities, making the digitalisation of public administration more standardised, interoperable and scalable. 

In June 2026, all Länder agreed to connect key foundational services of the D-Stack nationwide: The components include services for digital identity (eID, EUDI-Wallet), NOOTS for evidence data retrieval, as well as the FIT-Connect data transport infrastructure. The Federal Government primarily funds the development and operation of these components.

The Deutschland Stack at a glance

The graphic shows the central layers of the Deutschland Stack, from the technical infrastructure through to governance, which sets the binding framework.

The layers of the Deutschland-Stack

The Deutschland Stack follows a clear structure of layers that build on one another. These interlock and together enable end-to-end digital processes. The lower levels create the technical and organisational foundation for the components above them. Key foundational services connect the various layers with one another and ensure reusability. Binding governance ensures that standards are complied with and that solutions can be used across the board. 

The aim is for the Deutschland Stack to provide a wide range of solutions that the Länder and local authorities can reuse. This will help establish a public-administration IT landscape that functions in an interoperable and sovereign manner.

The role of the Bundesdruckerei Group in the Deutschland Stack

As the Federal Government’s technology company, the Bundesdruckerei Group can support the development of the Deutschland Stack – in particular with solutions from its subsidiaries for digital identities, credentials, signatures, portals, secure communication and trusted data exchange. Security, interoperability and nationwide connectivity are factored in from the outset. 

In this way, the companies of the Bundesdruckerei Group can help in every layer to ensure that the Deutschland Stack becomes not just a technical framework, but a robust foundation for a secure and user-friendly digital public administration.

It has two core principles: sovereignty and interoperability

At the core of the Deutschland Stack are two guiding principles: sovereignty and interoperability. They determine how the sovereign technology platform is designed and operated.

Sovereignty 

Sovereignty means that the state and public administration retain control over critical digital infrastructures. Dependencies on individual providers are reduced by using open standards and enabling technological alternatives. At the same time, European compatibility is strengthened so that solutions remain compatible beyond national borders.

Interoperability 

Interoperability ensures that systems can communicate with each other, data can be exchanged in a standardised way, and processes can run end-to-end without media discontinuities. Standardised interfaces and shared standards enable different applications to work together seamlessly. An interoperable ecosystem is therefore a key design principle for the Germany Stack, as it is essential for the creation of a well-connected digital public administration platform – one that does not operate in isolation but functions as a networked overall system.

What is changing in practical terms?

The Deutschland Stack has different impacts on different target groups:

Pictogram authorities

For public authorities 

  • Rapid implementation of digital services 
  • Less duplicate development 
  • Better collaboration between levels of government 

Public administrations benefit from the fact that solutions no longer have to be developed in isolation. Instead, existing components can be reused and integrated. This saves time, reduces costs and improves the quality of the services.

Pictogram Service Hotline

For IT service providers 

  • Clear requirements and standards 
  • Better connectivity of solutions 
  • More scaling options

For businesses and IT service providers, the Deutschland Stack creates a reliable framework. Clear specifications make it easier to develop compatible solutions. At the same time, standardisation opens up new opportunities to deploy applications across multiple levels of government.

Piktogramm Team

For citizens 

  • Fewer media discontinuities 
  • Consistent user experience 
  • End-to-end digital processes 

Citizens experience greatly simplified interaction with public administration. Data does not have to be entered multiple times, processes run digitally end-to-end, and services feel more consistent – regardless of which authority they are dealing with.

Conclusion: From project thinking to a systematic approach

The Deutschland Stack represents a fundamental shift in perspective away from isolated project thinking towards a systematic approach. As a framework, it creates the foundation for developing digital solutions not individually, but in interaction with one another. At the heart of this is the reuse of existing components instead of the parallel development of similar applications. What is crucial here is the interaction between technology, organisation and governance. Only when all three aspects are interlinked can an efficient and sustainable digital administration be established.

Frequently asked questions about the Deutschland Stack

The Deutschland Stack is a modular toolkit of coordinated software components and applications that are arranged in layers. The three core building blocks include the lower layers: infrastructure, operating platforms and foundational services. They build on one another and form the basis for developing the software solutions mentioned. The Deutschland Stack therefore provides the technical framework for digitalising administrative services in Germany securely, modularly and consistently.

The aim is to fundamentally accelerate the digitalisation of public administration and make it less complex. To that end, the Deutschland Stack concept promises fewer isolated standalone solutions and the development of a shared, sovereign and scalable digital infrastructure.

In the long term, citizens will benefit from end-to-end digitalised public administration. In practice, this means that citizens can handle administrative procedures online – consistently, quickly and regardless of where they live. The systems in the background speak the same “language”. As a result, data does not have to be repeatedly entered as often (once-only principle) and services operate nationwide to the same security standard.

Open source is a core element. Open source code creates transparency, increases security through community review, and greatly simplifies a key prerequisite for the reuse of software.

The Deutschland Stack is intended to harmonise and accelerate the digitalisation of public administration by ensuring that each level develops reusable solutions rather than isolated ones. This results in a sovereign, interoperable digital infrastructure that is compatible across Europe for the Federal Government, the Länder and local authorities, and enables a vibrant ecosystem of open innovation.