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PURL Types

Package-URL type definitions​

Each package manager, platform, type, or ecosystem has its own conventions and protocols to identify, locate, and provision software packages.

The package type is the component of a Package-URL that is used to capture this information with a short string such as maven, npm, nuget, gem, pypi, etc.

PURL type definitions are maintained in a set of JSON Schema files with a separate file for each purl type. Each purl type has a corresponding file of automatically generated documentation. There is also a simple index of all currently registered purl types.

Where to find PURL type information​

How PURL Types are maintained​

PURL type definitions are maintained as JSON definition files and JSON test files in the PURL specification repository. These JSON files serve as the source of truth and define the structure of each PURL type, including:

  • Namespace and name formatting rules
  • Supported qualifiers
  • Repository requirements
  • Mapping of PURL concepts to the native ecosystem concepts

On commit, a job automatically:

  • Checks that all JSON files are schema-valid
  • Formats all the JSON files
  • Generates the purl-types-index.json file containing a list of defined registered PURL types
  • Generates human-readable documentation for each type

How to Propose a New PURL Type​

To propose a new PURL type, create an issue and a corresponding pull request in the repository with:

  • a new JSON definition file under types/.
  • a new JSON test file file under tests/types/.

Ensure that your proposal follows the PURL Type Definition Schema and includes all required fields. For this see the README-dev.md for details to run local checks.