National joint registries are gaining more and more importance in the fields of implant monitoring/outlier detection and quality of care. The German Arthroplasty Registry (EPRD) was established in 2010 for the purpose of observing the impact of primary hip and knee arthroplasty on the German population. Having now over one million documentations, we introduce the structure of the EPRD and detail the process of data collection. We report on some preliminary trends and contrast these with findings from other joint registries. We introduce the overhauled Arthroplasty Library, that resulted from an international collaboration with National Joint Registry of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2019;4 DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.4.180064