# Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)

A detailed inventory listing every component and library used to build a piece of software.

**Software bill of materials (SBOM)** is a detailed, machine-readable inventory listing every component, library, and dependency used to build a piece of software, similar to an ingredients list on food packaging.

SBOMs let organizations quickly determine whether they're affected when a vulnerability[↗](/vulnerability) is discovered in a widely used component, without an SBOM, teams may not even know a vulnerable library is buried deep inside software they rely on. They've become increasingly required for software sold to governments and regulated industries.