SBOM Insights - Contributor Guide

Welcome to SBOM Insights! This guide will help you contribute to our blog about Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), supply chain security, and related topics.

Quick Start: Add and Test a Blog Post

Want to quickly add a blog post? Follow these steps:

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/interlynk-io/sbom-insights.git
cd sbom-insights

# 2. Create a new post (replace with your title)
make new-post TITLE="My SBOM Journey"

# 3. Edit your post
# Open content/posts/my-sbom-journey.md in your editor
# Add your content after the front matter

# 4. Test your post locally
make serve
# Open http://localhost:1313 in your browser

# 5. When ready, build the site
make build

# 6. Create a PR with your changes
git checkout -b post/my-sbom-journey
git add .
git commit -m "Add post: My SBOM Journey"
git push origin post/my-sbom-journey

That's it! Your post will be reviewed and published. For more details, see the sections below.

Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Adding a New Post
• Adding Author Information
• Categories and Tags
• Local Development
• Content Guidelines
• Submission Process

Getting Started

This site is built with Hugo using the PaperMod theme. To contribute, you'll need:

1. Git for version control
2. Hugo (optional for local preview)
3. A text editor for writing Markdown

Quick Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/interlynk-io/sbom-insights.git
cd sbom-insights

# Initialize submodules (PaperMod theme) - already done
git submodule update --init --recursive

# Install Hugo (optional, for local preview)
# On macOS
brew install hugo

# On Ubuntu/Debian
snap install hugo

# On Windows
choco install hugo-extended

Using the Makefile

We provide a Makefile with helpful automation commands:

# View all available commands
make help

Available Makefile Commands

Command	Description	Usage
make help	Display all available commands	make help
make serve	Run Hugo development server with drafts on http://localhost:1313	make serve
make build	Build production site with minification	make build
make clean	Remove build artifacts (public/ and resources/)	make clean
make new-post	Create a new blog post with automatic filename formatting	make new-post TITLE="Your Post Title"
make deploy	Build and deploy to Netlify production	make deploy
make preview	Deploy a preview to Netlify	make preview
make update-theme	Update PaperMod theme to latest version	make update-theme
make check-links	Check for broken links in built site (requires htmltest)	make check-links
make format	Format all markdown files with prettier	make format

Quick Examples

# Start writing a new post
make new-post TITLE="Understanding SBOM Formats"
make serve  # Preview at http://localhost:1313

# Ready to submit?
make format  # Clean up formatting
make check-links  # Verify all links work
make build  # Final build check

# Deploy (for maintainers)
make preview  # Test deployment
make deploy  # Production deployment

Adding a New Post

Step 1: Create a New Post File

Create a new Markdown file in the content/posts/ directory:

# Using Hugo (recommended)
hugo new posts/your-post-title.md

# Or manually create the file
touch content/posts/your-post-title.md

Step 2: Add Front Matter

Every post needs front matter at the top. Here's the template:

+++
title = "Your Post Title"
date = 2024-01-15T10:00:00Z
draft = false
description = "A brief description of your post (150-160 characters for SEO)"
author = "Your Name"
tags = ["SBOM", "Security", "Supply Chain"]
categories = ["Best Practices"]
toc = true
tocopen = false
weight = 1
cover = {
    image = "/images/your-cover-image.jpg",
    alt = "Cover image description",
    caption = "Image caption if needed",
    relative = false
}
+++

Front Matter Fields Explained:

• title: The title of your post
• date: Publication date (ISO 8601 format)
• draft: Set to true while writing, false when ready to publish
• description: SEO meta description (150-160 characters)
• author: Your name (should match author data file)
• tags: Relevant keywords (lowercase, use existing tags when possible)
• categories: Main category (check existing categories first)
• toc: Show table of contents (true/false)
• tocopen: Open TOC by default (true/false)
• weight: Post priority (lower numbers appear first)
• cover: Optional cover image configuration

Step 3: Write Your Content

After the front matter, write your post in Markdown:

## Introduction

Start with a compelling introduction...

## Main Content

### Subsection 1

Your content here...

### Subsection 2

More content...

## Code Examples

\```json
{
"example": "code block"
}
\```

## Conclusion

Wrap up your post...

Best Practices for Posts:

• Use clear, descriptive headings (H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections)
• Include code examples where relevant
• Add images to the /static/images/ directory
• Link to authoritative sources
• Keep paragraphs concise (3-5 sentences)
• Use lists for better readability

Adding Author Information

Step 1: Create Author Data File

Create a YAML file in data/authors/ directory:

mkdir -p data/authors
touch data/authors/your-name.yaml

Step 2: Add Author Details

name: "Your Full Name"
bio: "Brief bio about yourself and your expertise in SBOM/security"
email: "your.email@example.com"
company: "Your Company Name"
github: "yourusername"
linkedin: "yourusername"
twitter: "yourusername"
website: "https://yourwebsite.com"
copyright: "© 2025 Your Name" # Optional: custom copyright for your posts

Step 3: Add Your Photo

Place your avatar image in /static/images/authors/:

cp your-photo.jpg static/images/authors/

Image requirements:

• Format: JPEG or PNG
• Size: 400x400px (square)
• File size: Under 100KB

Categories and Tags

Existing Categories

Use these primary categories for your posts:

• Best Practices: Implementation guides and recommendations
• Tools & Reviews: SBOM tool comparisons and reviews
• Standards: Information about SPDX, CycloneDX, etc.
• Industry News: Updates, regulations, and announcements
• Case Studies: Real-world implementations
• Security: Supply chain security topics
• Tutorials: How-to guides and walkthroughs

Common Tags

Use relevant tags from this list (you can add new ones if needed):

• SBOM, CycloneDX, SPDX, SWID
• Supply Chain, Security, Vulnerability
• Open Source, License Compliance
• DevSecOps, CI/CD, Automation
• Docker, Kubernetes, Container Security
• Python, JavaScript, Go, Java (language-specific)
• NTIA, CISA, EU CRA (regulatory)

Local Development

Running the Development Server

# Start Hugo server with drafts (using Makefile)
make serve

# Or directly with Hugo
hugo server -D

# Without drafts
hugo server

# The site will be available at http://localhost:1313

Building the Site

# Build the static site (using Makefile)
make build

# Or directly with Hugo
hugo --minify

# Build with drafts included
hugo -D

# Clean build artifacts
make clean

# The built site will be in the public/ directory

Content Guidelines

What We're Looking For

• Technical Deep Dives: Detailed explanations of SBOM concepts
• Practical Guides: How to implement SBOM in real projects
• Tool Reviews: Honest assessments of SBOM tools
• Industry Analysis: Trends and developments in software transparency
• Case Studies: Success stories and lessons learned
• Security Research: Vulnerability management and supply chain security

Writing Style

• Tone: Professional but approachable
• Length: 800-2000 words typically
• Audience: DevOps engineers, security professionals, and technical managers
• Format: Use subheadings, bullet points, and code examples
• Citations: Link to sources and give credit

Quality Checklist

Before submitting, ensure your post:

• Has accurate technical information
• Includes practical examples
• Is free of spelling/grammar errors
• Has proper formatting and structure
• Includes relevant tags and categories
• Has a compelling title and description
• Credits all sources and references

Submission Process

For External Contributors

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b post/your-post-title
3. Add your post and any images
4. Commit your changes: git commit -m "Add post: Your Post Title"
5. Push to your fork: git push origin post/your-post-title
6. Create a Pull Request with:
   • Brief description of your post
   • Any special considerations
   • Your author information if first time

For Team Members

1. Create a branch: git checkout -b post/your-post-title
2. Add your content
3. Push and create a PR for review
4. After approval, merge to main

Review Process

All posts go through review for:

• Technical accuracy
• Writing quality
• Relevance to audience
• SEO optimization
• Code example correctness

Expect feedback within 3-5 business days.

Additional Resources

Markdown Help

• Hugo Markdown Guide
• GitHub Flavored Markdown

Image Optimization

• Use WebP or optimized JPEG/PNG
• Recommended tools: TinyPNG, Squoosh
• Maximum width: 1200px for cover images

SEO Best Practices

• Use descriptive URLs (matching your filename)
• Write compelling meta descriptions
• Use heading hierarchy properly (H1 → H2 → H3)
• Include alt text for all images
• Internal linking to related posts

Project Structure

sbom-insights/
├── content/          # Blog content
│   ├── posts/       # Blog posts
│   ├── about.md     # About page
│   └── contributors.md # Contributors page
├── data/
│   └── authors/     # Author profiles (YAML)
├── static/          # Static assets
│   └── images/      # Images
│       └── authors/ # Author avatars
├── themes/
│   └── PaperMod/    # Hugo theme
├── hugo.toml        # Hugo configuration
├── Makefile         # Build automation
├── netlify.toml     # Netlify configuration
└── CONTRIBUTING.md  # Contribution guidelines

Features

• 📝 SBOM-focused content
• 👥 Multi-author support
• 🔍 Full-text search
• 📱 Responsive design
• 🌙 Dark/Light mode
• 📊 Reading time estimates
• 🏷️ Categories and tags
• 📡 RSS feed

Topics We Cover

• SBOM Standards (CycloneDX, SPDX)
• Generation tools and techniques
• Supply chain security
• Vulnerability management
• License compliance
• Implementation best practices
• Industry regulations (NTIA, EU CRA, etc.)
• Integration with CI/CD pipelines
• Container and cloud security

Getting Help

If you need assistance:

1. Check existing posts for examples
2. Review the Hugo documentation
3. Open an issue with your question
4. Contact the maintainers

License and Copyright

License

All content in SBOM Insights is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

Copyright

• Copyright © 2025 Interlynk.io and Contributors
• Individual authors retain copyright to their contributions
• By contributing, you grant Interlynk.io rights under CC BY 4.0 to publish and distribute your content
• Proper attribution to original authors is required for any use

See CONTRIBUTORS.md for a list of all contributors.

Contact

• GitHub: github.com/interlynk-io
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/interlynk
• Twitter: @interlynk

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Thank you for contributing to SBOM Insights! Your knowledge and expertise help build a stronger SBOM community.