On the Way to SBOMs: Investigating Design Issues and Solutions in Practice

Abstract: The Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) has emerged as a promising solution, providing a machine-readable inventory of software components used, thus bolstering supply chain security. This paper presents an extensive study concerning the practical aspects of SBOM practice. Leveraging an analysis of 4,786 GitHub discussions from 510 SBOM-related projects, our research delineates key topics, challenges, and solutions intrinsic to the effective utilization of SBOMs. Furthermore, we shed light on commonly used tools and frameworks for generating SBOMs, exploring their respective strengths and limitations. Our findings underscore the pivotal role SBOMs play in ensuring resilient software development practices and underscore the imperative of their widespread integration to bolster supply chain security. The insights accrued from our study hold significance as valuable input for prospective research and development in this crucial domain.