Softwaresuch

Softwaresuch is a hypothetical metadata-driven framework intended to improve the discovery, evaluation, and governance of software assets across repositories and markets. It envisions a uniform descriptor for software items that can be collected, indexed, and compared to support procurement, security review, and compliance workflows.

The core concept centers on a minimal metadata schema describing essential attributes such as name, version, license, supported platforms, dependencies, provenance, build and release notes, and reported quality signals (maintainer activity, last tested date, available security scans). The schema is extensible to accommodate domain-specific attributes and can be serialized in JSON-LD or JSON Schema formats, enabling interoperability with existing cataloging and package-management systems.

History and development: Softwaresuch originated in theoretical and industry discussions around 2020 as a response to fragmented software catalogs. A reference implementation and example catalogs were published during 2021–2022 by a community-led initiative. While not adopted as a formal international standard, the concept has influenced discussions on software discovery and supply chain visibility.

Architecture and workflow: The design separates descriptors from catalogs and discovery services. Descriptors are published to registries; validators check conformance to the schema; a search and discovery service indexes metadata to support faceted queries, filtering by license, vulnerability status, maintainer, or provenance. Client libraries and plugins aim to integrate disparate repositories, package managers, and procurement tools, enabling more consistent discovery across ecosystems.

Reception and status: In published discussions, softwareshape is described as a useful model for improving transparency and governance, though practical adoption faces governance consistency challenges and potential tooling fragmentation.

See also: Software metadata, Software supply chain, Metadata standards.