Buildbezug

Buildbezug is a term used in German-speaking contexts to describe the explicit linkage between a built artifact and the inputs used to create it. In software engineering, the concept refers to the provenance of a build: the specific source code revision, dependencies, tooling versions, configuration settings, and environment details that contributed to generating an artifact. The goal is traceability, reproducibility, and accountability across development, integration, and deployment.

Etymology and scope: The word combines Build (borrowed from English) with Bezug (reference or linkage). While originally used in manufacturing to denote the relation between a product and its bill of materials, Buildbezug has been adopted in software to describe a reproducible build chain and the accompanying metadata that documents it. In hardware or manufacturing contexts, it can also refer to documentation that ties a product to its parts and assembly steps.

Implementation and practices: Buildbezug is supported by build manifests and lockfiles that pin dependency versions, continuous integration pipelines that capture environment data, and artifacts that include metadata such as the exact commit, build timestamp, and checksums. In addition, the use of software bills of materials (SBOMs) and reproducible builds are common ways to realize and verify a Buildbezug. In hardware domains, it similarly serves to document the linkage between a product and its components and processes.

Significance and challenges: A robust Buildbezug improves traceability, security, and compliance, enables safe rollback, and supports audits. Challenges include maintaining up-to-date metadata across complex dependency graphs, handling sensitive information, and balancing overhead with value.

See also: Software bill of materials, reproducible builds, build automation, dependency management, bill of materials.