Plugins

Contents

• Plugins

  • Overview

  • Index of the official plugins

    • Viewers

    • Standards

    • Databases

    • Languages

    • Artificial intelligence

    • Tools

  • Index of the contributed plugins

    • C/C++ plugins

    • Python plugins

    • Rust plugins

    • Other

Overview

The core of Orthanc can be extended through plugins. A plugin takes the form of a shared library (.DLL under Windows, .so under GNU/Linux, .dylib under Apple OS X…). A plugin can do various things, among others:

• Serving new Web applications that have full access to the REST API of Orthanc, which makes easy to handle DICOM images from JavaScript code.

• Replacing the way DICOM images are decoded (e.g. the official Web viewer plugin introduces the decoding of JPEG2000 images, which is not available in the core of Orthanc).

• Replacing the default database back-end of Orthanc (that is built upon SQLite) by another (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server…).

• Creating new REST APIs on the top of the Orthanc built-in API (as in in the official DICOMweb plugin).

• Reacting to the arrival of new DICOM images or other DICOM-related events so as to carry on automated processing.

• …

Developers external to the official Orthanc project are invited to contribute to the C/C++ part of Orthanc by creating third-party plugins. A specific section of the Orthanc Book explains how to create new Orthanc plugins.

Index of the official plugins

Viewers

• Stone Web Viewer plugin
• Orthanc Explorer 2 plugin
• OHIF plugin
• Kitware’s VolView plugin
• Osimis Web viewer plugin (deprecated)
• Orthanc Web Viewer plugin

Standards

• DICOMweb plugin
• Sample Modality Worklists plugin
• Whole-slide microscopic imaging
• Neuroimaging plugin
• STL plugin for Orthanc

Databases

• PostgreSQL plugins
• MySQL/MariaDB plugins
• Cloud Object Storage plugins
• Google Cloud Platform plugin
• ODBC plugins

Languages

• Python plugin for Orthanc
• Java plugin for Orthanc

Artificial intelligence

• TCIA plugin
• Mammography plugin

Tools

• Advanced authorization plugin
• Delayed deletion plugin
• GDCM plugin for Orthanc
• Housekeeper plugin
• Folder Indexer plugin
• Sample multitenant DICOM server
• Sample Serve Folders plugin
• Transfers accelerator plugin

Index of the contributed plugins

C/C++ plugins

• AWS S3 storage plugin: This plugin by Radpoint makes Orthanc store its DICOM files into an Amazon S3 bucket.

• DWV Orthanc Plugin: This plugin by Yves Martelli is based on dwv and extends Orthanc with a Web viewer of DICOM images.

• Another Web viewer is provided courtesy of Emsy Chan.

• VPI Reveal provides a plugin to “write the DICOM records in a normal Windows-readable file hierarchy (patient-study-series-DICOM file) at a location called VPIStorage that can then be imported into VPI Reveal.” Check out their source code.

• Doc Cirrus is working on MongoDB database plugins. Check out their source code and the associated description.

Python plugins

• Julian Hartig maintains a Python plugin called orthanc-gdt, in order to glue Orthanc to the GDT interface most German AIS (Arztinformationssysteme - as opposed to e.g. the RIS used by radiologists) use for communicating with external applications and devices. This topic is further discussed on the Orthanc Users forum.

• Stephen Douglas Scotti maintains an integrated Docker package, that provides a portal application using Laravel (which demonstrates pagination and some other features), and some MPPS and MWL features.

• Walco van Loon maintains Orthanc Server Extensions as “A simple Orthanc python plugin based framework to extend Orthanc’s feature set with testable python scripts.”. Check out the original announcement on the Orthanc Users forum.

Rust plugins

As the Rust language can produce shared libraries that are binary compatible with the C ABI, it is possible to create plugins using Rust:

• Andrew Webber provides Rust plugins showcasing integration with Orthanc, notably a S3 storage (CRUD) and a change notification. Check out the original announcement on the Orthanc Users forum.

Other

• Check out the OrthancContributed repository on GitHub, that might contain plugins that are not tracked in this list.

• Important: Do not hesitate to contact us if you have developed a plugin so that we can promote it in the list above!