Standard for Public Code

The Standard for Public Code is a set of criteria that supports public organizations in developing and maintaining software and policy together.

The Standard for Public Code provides guidance to public organizations seeking to successfully collaborate on open source solutions with similar organizations in other places. It includes advice for policymakers, government managers, developers and vendors. The Standard for Public Code supports the collaborative creation of codebases that are usable, open, legible, accountable, accessible and sustainable. It is meant to be applicable to codebases for all levels of government, from supranational to municipal.

The Standard for Public Code defines ‘public code’ as open source software developed by public organizations, together with the policy and guidance needed for collaboration and reuse.

The criteria of the Standard for Public Code are aligned with guidelines and best practices of open source software development and are as follows:

• Code in the open
• Bundle policy and source code
• Make the codebase reusable and portable
• Welcome contributors
• Make contributing easy
• Maintain version control
• Require review of contributions
• Document codebase objectives
• Document the code
• Use plain English
• Use open standards
• Use continuous integration
• Publish with an open license
• Make the codebase findable
• Use a coherent style
• Document codebase maturity

The Standard for Public Code is developed collaboratively on GitHub.