# About (/docs/about)

## What is this framework? [#what-is-this-framework]

Scale SBOM is a free, open source operational framework for software transparency. It turns SBOM and VEX standards into guidance that engineering, security and procurement teams can act on.

## Why does it exist? [#why-does-it-exist]

Standards like CycloneDX and SPDX define how to structure transparency artifacts. They do not cover how to embed SBOM generation into a release pipeline, deliver artifacts to customers or evaluate what suppliers provide. Scale SBOM adds the operational guidance, content quality expectations and maturity assessment that standards leave out.

## Who is it for? [#who-is-it-for]

* **Producers.** Software vendors and development teams that build and ship software. Producers generate SBOMs, sign them and deliver transparency artifacts to their customers. See the [Producer guide](/docs/roles/producer).
* **Consumers.** Organizations that procure and operate software they did not build. Consumers request SBOMs from suppliers to gain visibility into components they have no source access to. See the [Consumer guide](/docs/roles/consumer).
* **Explorers.** Newcomers learning what SBOM and VEX are and why they matter. Start with the [Explorer guide](/docs/roles/explorer).

## Maintainers [#maintainers]

This project is maintained by [Bytesafe](https://bytesafe.dev).

## Sponsors [#sponsors]

Co-funded by [Sweden's National Coordination Centre for Research and Innovation in Cybersecurity (NCC-SE)](https://www.ncc-se.se/en) and the [Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MCF)](https://www.mcf.se/en).

## License [#license]

Available under the MIT License.

The site is set in Newsreader and IBM Plex, used under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 ([Newsreader](/licenses/Newsreader-OFL.txt), [IBM Plex](/licenses/IBMPlex-OFL.txt)).