The Trustable Software Framework
Why Do You Trust Software?
Software now drives the systems we rely on, from mobility and healthcare to national infrastructure. Yet the question rarely asked is the most important one: ‘Why do you trust the software behind critical systems?’
Today’s software delivery is fast and complex, often with continuous updates. Traditional certification methods (designed for slower processes with occasional releases) are no longer sufficient. That’s why Codethink created the Trustable Software Framework (TSF).
What is the Trustable Software Framework (TSF)?
The Trustable Software Framework (TSF) is an open source initiative, now hosted at the Eclipse Foundation, that brings an evidence-based approach to evaluating risk in modern software projects. It helps software product builders to evaluate the available evidence for all aspects of the development process, from the software supply chain through to release management. This information can then be used to evaluate risk in projects requiring high reliability, security, and safety.
It is not a checklist. It is a methodology for engineering trust into the way software is designed, built, and delivered.
Why it matters?
In safety-critical environments, poorly-written, overly complex, or fragmented requirements introduce systemic risk. Ironically, the more standards imposed, the harder it becomes to ensure clarity, coherence, or accountability.
The Trustable Software Framework tackles this challenge head-on by aligning modern software development practices with the demands of regulated, risk-sensitive industries. It provides a structured approach to making risk visible and actionable throughout the software lifecycle, including post-deployment phases with years-long support and compliance-driven security maintenance.
How it works?
TSF begins with a set of Tenets and Assertions: concise, verifiable statements about what must be true for software to be considered trustable. These form the foundation for evaluating quality, safety, and risk across diverse software projects.
But this is just the beginning.
Codethink’s long-term vision is for the Trustable Software Framework to evolve into a broader, community-driven ecosystem with the Eclipse Foundation; one that supports domain-specific tools, integrations, and methods for applying trustable practices at scale.
The goal is not to enforce one-size-fits-all compliance, but to enable software teams across automotive, industrial, medical, and other critical sectors to speak a common language of trust, and apply it with rigour and relevance to their own systems.
Learn more
Trustable Software Framework is now part of the Eclipse Foundation.
To learn how to apply the TSF to your project, and bring trust, clarity, and confidence to your software delivery - connect with the Codethink team.
