We are building the universal software archive
We collect and preserve software in source code form, because software embodies our technical and scientific knowledge and humanity cannot afford the risk of losing it.
Software is a precious part of our cultural heritage. We curate and make accessible all the software we collect, because only by sharing it we can guarantee its preservation in the very long term.
Use the Archive
Browse
You can search which software origins (repositories, source packages, etc.) we have already archived and when we have visited it, implementing a “wayback machine” for source code. Once an origin of interest has been identified, the web app allows to browse through it as you usually do with version control system browsing interfaces.
Save Code Now
You can trigger instant archiving of any source code repository that is not yet ingested in the Software Heritage archive, or that is not up to date.
This complements the regular crawling of software origins that is performed on the main code hosting platforms, and gives you the possibility of ensuring that the code you are interested in is properly archived.
Archive Research Software
You can archive seamlessly your research software artifacts, and add to your research articles precise references to specific versions of the source code, down to fragments of individual source files. Just follow the link below for the guidelines.
Rescue Legacy Code
You can contribute to rescue and curate landmark legacy source code while it is still possible to get hold of it, and talk to the people that created it. For this, you can follow the SWHAP process, developed in collaboration with UNESCO and the University of Pisa.
Do we already have your code?
We harvest publicly available source code from many software projects and keep up with development happening there. As of today our archive already contains and keeps safe for you:
API
Programmatic access to the content of the archive is available via the Software Heritage API.
The API allows to navigate the archive as a graph of development-related objects, such as file contents, directories, commits, releases. With the API developers can lookup individual objects by their IDs, retrieve their metadata, and jump from one to another following links — e.g., from commits to the corresponding directories or parent commits, from releases to released commits, etc. The API also allows to retrieve crawling information, such as tracked software origins and the full list of visits performed on each of them. This allows, for instance, to know when snapshots of a specific Git repository where taken and, for each of them, where each branch was pointing at the time.
It concerns all of us. And you can help!
Software is so pervasive in our lives that its preservation concerns all of us. Our mission and the archive we are building will serve the needs of the many, from cultural institutions to scientists and industries.
Everyone can help us achieving these ambitious goals.
Heritage
Software is an important part of human production. It is also a key enabler for salvaging our entire digital heritage.
We collect, preserve, and make accessible source code for the benefits of present and future generations.
Science
Science relies more and more on software. To guarantee scientific reproducibility we need to preserve it.
Amassing source code at this scale will be challenging, but will also enable the next generation of software studies.
Industry
Software is present in all industrial processes and products.
The universal source code archive we are building will help industry with provenance tracking, long-term archival, and software bill of materials.
Initiator
Platinum sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Hugging Face
Partnering with Software Heritage was a great journey for BigCode and Hugging Face. The foundation’s focus on preservation, reproducibility, availability and traceability mirrors many of the values and mission of…
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Open Invention Network
Open source software has been one of the instrumental, driving forces of innovation this century. Software Heritage is an important organization for software, having already archived more than 6 billion…
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ServiceNow
At ServiceNow we recognize the value and importance of preserving open-source software for the benefit of the community and the advancement of research. We are dedicated to developing models that…
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Société Générale
We are aware of the code’s value for our digital transformation, it has become a major asset for the bank and we firmly believe that we must preserve it in…
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Sorbonne Université
Firmly committed to open science, which is at the heart of its project, Sorbonne University supports Software Heritage. By helping to collect and to share software, Software Heritage contributes to…
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Université de Paris
By supporting the Software Heritage initiative, Université de Paris continues its commitment to the free and responsible sharing of knowledge and research software. — Christine Clerici, President of Université de…
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CRKN consortium
CRKN consortium includes: Memorial University of Newfoundland, Université de Montréal, University of Toronto, York University, University of Saskatchewan, University of New Brunswick, Western University. Preservation of source code is essential…
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Directorate General of Armaments – DGA
“The Directorate General of Armaments supports the Software Heritage archive which, through the safeguarding of our common digital heritage, enables us to build the future of our digital systems.” Emmanuel…
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French Government (DINUM)
Open Data is the fuel, and Software is the engine of the digital transformation that is driving change in all aspects of modern societies. By collecting, preserving and sharing all the source…
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Università di Pisa
Pisa has been the first Italian University to foresee the future relevance of computer science, and it has committed to its development early on: by supporting the building of the…
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Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES)
We can only build our future properly if we remember our history. Marie-Anne Clair Director of Technology and Digital at CNES
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CSAL – Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries
CSAL consortium includes: Universität Bern ETH Zürich Universität Luzern Université de Neuchâtel CERN For some years now, Swiss institutions have been supporting the funding cycles of SCOSS. We are pleased…
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Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies
The Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies supports the Software Heritage initiative because its universal, open and sustainable archive is a valuable tool for pursuing and sustaining Open Science. Software Heritage…
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Scuola Normale Superiore
The Scuola Normale Superiore is proud to contribute to the mission of the Software Heritage, born thanks to the pioneering intuition of professor Roberto Di Cosmo, a former student in…
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Université de Lorraine
Software is often at the heart of the scientific endeavor in most disciplines, all the way from tiny pieces of it to worldwide, decades long, millions of lines projects. Its…
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University of Bologna
Software is at the basis of most modern science. The reproducibility of scientific results and the whole concept of scientific research is deeply linked with the preservation and the study…
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