Alcance
This specification defines a standard data format for referencing software artifacts that match the data model of modern distributed version control systems.This format includes the typical tree-like structure of a filesystem hierarchy, but also, special nodes to track revisions and releases, as well as the full status of a version control system, with all its development branches.A key property of SWHIDs is that they can be computed using cryptographically strong functions directly from the digital objects they refer to, by anyone that has access to a copy of those objects. This enables decentralised and independent verification of integrity, without relying on a registry or a central authority.The computation of the SWHID identifiers is based on Merkle Acyclic Directed Graphs, a natural generalization of Merkle trees.The resolution of SWHIDs, that is, the process of obtaining a copy of a digital artifact corresponding to a given SWHID, is outside the scope of this specification.