MANIFESTMF

MANIFESTMF, short for Manifest Metadata Framework, is a proposed open standard intended to unify how manifest files describe software artifacts across packaging, deployment, and build systems. It defines a core schema for metadata and a reference approach to validation, aiming to improve interoperability and reproducibility.

The scope covers text-based manifest files that accompany software assets in distributions, containers, and installers. It supports multiple serializations (JSON, YAML, TOML) and provides a canonical JSON Schema for validation. Key fields include name, version, description, license, authors, dependencies, environment targets, checksums, and optional provenance data.

The architecture envisions modular components: a manifest schema, validators, reference implementations in popular languages, and a registry of extension hints for platform-specific metadata. The framework emphasizes backward compatibility, extensibility, and deterministic hashing to support reproducible builds and secure supply chains.

As of now, MANIFESTMF is a community-driven concept with ongoing discussions and experimental tooling. No formal international standard has been ratified, but early drafts and example manifests are available in open repositories for feedback. Proponents expect it to complement existing packaging formats rather than replace them, providing a common metadata layer across ecosystems.