Templates and commandline tools for creating repositories for US Federal open source projects
The CMS Open Source Program Office developed a maturity model framework to classify federal open source projects based on their maturity level. Each tier outlines specific files and content that are required or recommended to be included in the repository.
repo-scaffolder assists project teams with creating repositories that adhere to repository hygiene standards. It provides file templates detailing project information, contributing guidance, maintainer roles, project metadata, community involvement, feedback mechanisms, governance, security policies, and more. Using cookiecutter, repo-scaffolder helps teams identify what tier their project is classified as and fill in project information to be inputted into the file templates. In turn, this provides the project sufficient structure and foundation to promote a healthy open source ecosystem
This repository also includes outbound checklists for each tier outlining the review process for releasing repositories as open source.
For existing repositories, repolinter via GitHub Actions is used to identify any files and information missing from the repository according to their maturity tier.
An up-to-date list of core team members can be found in MAINTAINERS.md. At this time, the project is still building the core team and defining roles and responsibilities. We are eagerly seeking individuals who would like to join the community and help us define and fill these roles.
- CONTRIBUTING.md
- MAINTAINERS.md
- CODEOWNERS.md
- COMMUNITY_GUIDELINES.md
- CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
- SECURITY.md
- LICENSE
The Open Source Program Office follows a maturity model framework to classify federal repositories according to their level of maturity: https://github.com/DSACMS/repo-scaffolder/blob/main/maturity-model-tiers.md.
There are 4 tiers in the maturity model framework. The /tier* directory consists of templates, files, and scripts for each respective tier:
{{cookiecutter.project_slug}}is the directory containing templates and files to be generated upon repository creation. This serves as your repository starting point.cookiecutter.jsondefining the questions cookiecutter asks.hooks, a folder containing scripts to be run upon repository creation.checklist.md&checklist.pdfis the outbound review checklist with guidelines on releasing the repository as open source.README.mdwith more information about the maturity tier and file contents.
- python
- github cli
- cookiecutter
- repolinter
If you do not know what tier your project is, the cookiecutter will walk you through questions to figure out what tier you need. Run:
cookiecutter https://github.com/DSACMS/repo-scaffolder
If you know what tier you need, you can run the cookiecutter for an individual tier. Use the below command with X substituted for the tier number.
cookiecutter https://github.com/DSACMS/repo-scaffolder --directory=tierX
You can update existing projects with repo-scaffolder. Using the -s flag on cookiecutter will not overwrite existing files. Follow these steps:
- Create a new branch in your repo
- cd into folder above
- run:
cookiecutter -f -s https://github.com/DSACMS/repo-scaffolder --directory=tierX - Make sure when answering the questions you use the existing folder/project name
- Raise pr into main
Each repository should contain a code.json file with metadata about the project.
To add code.json into your project, navigate to your project's .github directory and run the following cookiecutter command. You will be asked questions about the project (see cookiecutter.json) in order to collect and store this metadata in code.json.
cookiecutter . --directory=codejson
The OSPO created various GitHub Action workflows that can be used to regularly update your repository. The jobs are located in .github directory of your project.
When creating projects, if you want to receive updates then add dsacms-tierX as a github topic to the repo. The scaffolder repo includes github workflows that will find all repos with that tag and can raise a pull request with an updated string or adding a file. See actions.md for more information.
Repolinter is a tool maintained by the TODOGroup for checking repositories for common open source issues, using pre-defined rulesets. This can be run stand-alone as a script, pre-commit in your IDE, or post-commit or within CI/CD systems!
✔ = Pass
✖ = Fail
⚠ = Warn
Tiers of level 1 thru 4 have repolinter.json file in their projects. Tier1 has detailed configuration of all the rules. All the other tiers extends their previous tiers and has only the rule and the level configuration.
Sample commands to run with the given repolinter.json path:
repolinter lint .
repolinter lint tier4/\{\{cookiecutter.project_slug\}\}
A tool to automatically update repositories up to hygenic standards with the use of Repolinter through GitHub Actions is also available. This action sends a PR to your repository with templates of all the missing files and sections that are required using a predefined rulset. Visit the repository for more information on how to get this action up and running.
The following guide is for members of the project team who have access to the repository as well as code contributors. The main difference between internal and external contributions is that external contributors will need to fork the project and will not be able to merge their own pull requests. For more information on contributing, see: CONTRIBUTING.md.
This project contains several different features.
/tier*contains file templates for repository creation and metadata collection using cookiecutter. Refer to the README.mds to learn more about the file contents./.githubcontains GitHub actions to update repositories contents across the ecosystem.checklist.md&checklist.pdfis the outbound review checklist with guidelines on releasing the repository as open source.maturity-model-tiers.md&maturity-model-tiers.pdfcontain information about our maturity model framework.
At a top level, each tier consists of a folder for hooks, a folder containing the files to be added ({{cookiecutter.project_slug}}), and a cookiecutter.json defining the questions cookiecutter asks. These naming conventions must be followed as that is what cookiecutter picks up. The hooks folder needs to be duplicated in each tier. The folder containing the files to be added can include slugged out variables such as {{ cookiecutter.project_name }} that can be filled in by the answers to cookiecutter.json.
For example, {{ cookiecutter.project_name }} will be filled in by this question - "project_name": "My Project",.
See the cookiecutter docs for more information.
Each application has its own linting and testing guidelines. Lint and code tests are run on each commit, so linters and tests should be run locally before commiting.
This project follows trunk-based development, which means:
- Make small changes in short-lived feature branches and merge to
devfrequently. - Be open to submitting multiple small pull requests for a single ticket (i.e. reference the same ticket across multiple pull requests).
- Treat each change you merge to
devas immediately deployable to production. Do not merge changes that depend on subsequent changes you plan to make, even if you plan to make those changes shortly. - Ticket any unfinished or partially finished work.
- Tests should be written for changes introduced, and adhere to the text percentage threshold determined by the project.
This project uses continuous deployment using Github Actions which is configured in the ./github/workflows directory.
Pull-requests are merged to dev and the changes are immediately deployed to the development environment. Releases are created to push changes to production in the main branch.
Thank you for considering contributing to an Open Source project of the US Government! For more information about our contribution guidelines, see CONTRIBUTING.md.
The contents of this repository are managed by the CMS Open Source Program Office. Those responsible for the code and documentation in this repository can be found in CODEOWNERS.md.
The repo-scaffolder team is taking a community-first and open source approach to the product development of this tool. We believe government software should be made in the open and be built and licensed such that anyone can download the code, run it themselves without paying money to third parties or using proprietary software, and use it as they will.
We know that we can learn from a wide variety of communities, including those who will use or will be impacted by the tool, who are experts in technology, or who have experience with similar technologies deployed in other spaces. We are dedicated to creating forums for continuous conversation and feedback to help shape the design and development of the tool.
We also recognize capacity building as a key part of involving a diverse open source community. We are doing our best to use accessible language, provide technical and process documents, and offer support to community members with a wide variety of backgrounds and skillsets.
Principles and guidelines for participating in our open source community are can be found in COMMUNITY_GUIDELINES.md. Please read them before joining or starting a conversation in this repo or one of the channels listed below. All community members and participants are expected to adhere to the community guidelines and code of conduct when participating in community spaces including: code repositories, communication channels and venues, and events.
If you have ideas for how we can improve or add to our capacity building efforts and methods for welcoming people into our community, please let us know at opensource@cms.hhs.gov. If you would like to comment on the tool itself, please let us know by filing an issue on our GitHub repository.
This project was developed as a collaboration between the United States Digital Service (USDS.gov), The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS.gov), The Digital Service at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS.gov) and The USDigitalResponse.org.
We adhere to the CMS Open Source Policy. If you have any questions, just shoot us an email.
Submit a vulnerability: Vulnerability reports can be submitted through Bugcrowd. Reports may be submitted anonymously. If you share contact information, we will acknowledge receipt of your report within 3 business days.
For more information about our Security, Vulnerability, and Responsible Disclosure Policies, see SECURITY.md.
A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is a formal record containing the details and supply chain relationships of various components used in building software.
In the spirit of Executive Order 14028 - Improving the Nation’s Cyber Security, a SBOM for this repository is provided here: https://github.com/DSACMS/repo-scaffolder/network/dependencies.
For more information and resources about SBOMs, visit: https://www.cisa.gov/sbom.
This project is in the public domain within the United States, and copyright and related rights in the work worldwide are waived through the CC0 1.0 Universal public domain dedication as indicated in LICENSE.
All contributions to this project will be released under the CC0 dedication. By submitting a pull request or issue, you are agreeing to comply with this waiver of copyright interest.