specificationdependent

Specifcation-dependent, or specification-dependent, is a term used in engineering and computing to describe components, systems, or behaviors whose correctness or operation is determined by adherence to a formal specification rather than by internal implementation details. In this sense, the specification provides the contract that defines interfaces, semantics, and constraints, and the implementation is judged by how well it satisfies that contract.

The concept is often contrasted with implementation-dependent behavior, where details of how a function operates can vary between platforms, compilers, or versions. Specification-dependent design emphasizes predictability, interoperability, and verifiability, since changes in the underlying code should not alter behavior as long as the specification is followed. It commonly appears in areas such as network protocols, programming language standards, data formats, and hardware interfaces.

Examples include protocol stacks that must conform to RFCs or ISO standards, programming language operators whose semantics are defined by language specifications, and data serialization formats whose encoding rules are specified by a formal standard. In each case, conformance testing, certification, or formal verification often centers on the degree to which an implementation adheres to the specification.

Practices surrounding specification dependence include versioning of standards, backward compatibility considerations, and contract-based testing to ensure that evolving implementations continue to align with the documented contract. Potential drawbacks involve reliance on a possibly ambiguous or evolving spec, which can lead to interoperability challenges if different vendors interpret the standard differently.

See also: specification, standardization, conformance, interoperability, API contract, validation.