implementationsource

Implementationsource is a term used in software engineering to denote the concrete source code that implements a specification, API, or protocol. It encompasses the program files, build scripts, and related resources that enable compilation and execution of the software described by the spec. The term is sometimes written as implementation source to reflect natural language usage, but implementationsource remains the canonical form in some discussions and documentation.

The term contrasts with the specification itself, design documents, or reference materials. Implementationsource refers to the actual codebase that developers modify to satisfy the requirements of the standard, rather than abstract descriptions of behavior.

In standards development and open-source ecosystems, providing an implementationsource is essential for verification, interoperability, and reproducibility. It enables conformance testing, performance benchmarking, and cross-platform deployment, helping different implementations demonstrate compliance with the same specification.

Examples of contexts where implementationsource is relevant include a browser engine implementing HTML and CSS standards, a database client implementing a query language, or a cryptographic library implementing a protocol such as TLS. In these settings, multiple implementationsource projects may exist to verify compatibility, encourage innovation, and reduce reliance on a single vendor.

Considerations associated with implementationsource include licensing, versioning, provenance, and build reproducibility. Projects may publish multiple implementationsource candidates to compare conformance and performance, and to support ongoing maintenance and evolution of the standard.

See also: reference implementation, conformance testing, open source, software standards.