SoftWare Hash IDentifier: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:51, 26 May 2025

Revision as of 22:46, 26 May 2025

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{{Short description|Software identifier}}

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The '''''SoftWare Hash IDentifier''''' ('''SWHID''') is a persistent identifier used to uniquely identify a particular piece of software [[source code]] and its version. SWHID is a standard similar to the [[Digital Object Identifier|DOI]], but is tailored specifically for software source code,<ref name="ProgrammingHistorianFr_preserving_identifying" /> compatible with versioning software such as [[git]].

An SWHID can be used to point to different components or versions of the source code of a software package.<ref name="ProgrammingHistorianFr_preserving_identifying" /> This is an intrinsic identifier that can be calculated independently on the software itself.<ref>{{Cite web |language=en |title=Intrinsic and Extrinsic identifiers |url=https://www.softwareheritage.org/2020/07/09/intrinsic-vs-extrinsic-identifiers/ |website=Software Heritage |access-date=2025-05-24}}</ref>.

== Format ==

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According to the [[French National Centre for Scientific Research]] (CNRS), software source code archived with SWHIDs includes the source codes of [[Apollo 11]] navigation and of the [[NCSA Mosaic]] web browser.<ref name="CNRS_supports" />

Version 3.0 of the Linux kernel, released in July 2011, has the following SWHID:<ref>{{Cite web |language=en |title=Release v3.0 of torvalds/linux repository |url=https://archive.softwareheritage.org/browse/release/4204bcde7c0b93c5e127eb868e17b337a513cf34/?origin_url=https://github.com/torvalds/linux&release=v3.0&snapshot=130eecc6bd74794737bb078fe5c3fadd034eddcc |website=Software Heritage |access-date=2025-05-24}}</ref>:

<code>swh:1:dir:df32c75242bf8d797ccd43af8ce8e294f35cd8fd</code>

== Standards ==

SWHID is an open standard licensed under the Community Specification License.<ref>{{Cite web |language=en |title=Copyright Section of SWHID Specification v1.2 |url=https://www.swhid.org/specification/v1.2/ |access-date=2025-05-24}}</ref>.

SWHID was formalized as the ISO 18670 standard in April 2025.<ref name="ISO18670">{{Cite web |language=en |title=ISO/IEC 18670:2025 |url=https://www.iso.org/standard/89985.html |website=ISO |access-date=2025-05-24}}</ref>.

== Creation and history ==

The SoftWare Hash IDentifier was developed by [[Software Heritage]]. Software Heritage's archives, identified by their SWHIDs, were publicly released starting in 2018.<ref name="CNRS_supports">{{cite Q|Q134581205|url-status=live|trans-title=The CNRS supports Software Heritage}}</ref>

{{as of|2020}}, SWHIDs were in use for about nine billion versions of pieces of software,<ref name="CNRS_supports" /> termed "artefacts".<ref name="SWHID_tracking_past">{{cite Q|Q134580517|url-status=live}}</ref> SWHIDs are integrated with research repositories including [[HAL (open archive)|HAL]], [[Zenodo]] and the French catalog of Academic Research Free Software.<ref>{{Cite web |language=en |title=About the site |url=https://logiciels.catalogue-esr.fr/readme |website=French Catalog of Academic Research Free Software |access-date=2025-05-24}}</ref>.

The acronym SWHID originally referred to "Software Heritage Identifiers" used to catalog software artifacts in the early days of the [[Software Heritage]] archive.<ref>{{Cite web |language=en |title=SoftWare Hash IDentifier (SWHID) |url=https://www.softwareheritage.org/software-hash-identifier-swhid/ |website=Software Heritage |access-date=2025-05-24}}</ref>. It later evolved into an open standard through a dedicated working group<ref>{{Cite web |language=en |title=SWHID working group |url=https://www.swhid.org/ |access-date=2025-05-24}}</ref> and was standardized as ISO in April 2025 under the more general name "Software Hash Identifier"<ref>{{Cite web |language=en |title=ISO/IEC 18670:2025 |url=https://www.iso.org/standard/89985.html |website=ISO |access-date=2025-05-24}}</ref>

[[Télécom Paris]] welcomed the ISO normalization arguing that it is a significant step in global digital infrastructure, providing traceability of software affected by vulnerabilities.<ref name="TelecomParis_significant_advance">{{cite Q|Q134580605|url-status=live|trans-title=A significant advance for global digital infrastructure: the ISO/IEC 18670 standard is now official}}</ref> UNESCO stated that SWHID is useful for the reproducibility and long-term accessibility of software.<ref name="UNESCO_archiving_open" />

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* {{Official website}}

* [https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso-iec:18670:ed-1:v1:en ISO/IEC 18670:2025 Specification v1.2]

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