SBOM Export in Labrador OSS

May 22,2025

Introduction

In today’s rapidly evolving software development landscape, managing open-source components and their security implications has become a critical concern. Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) have emerged as a foundational element in modern software supply chain security, offering visibility into the components, libraries, and dependencies that constitute a project. Labrador OSS, a comprehensive open-source security analysis platform, includes built-in SBOM export functionality conforming to industry standards such as CycloneDX and SPDX. This blog post delves into the SBOM Standard Documents feature in Labrador OSS exploring what it provides, how to use it, and why it is essential for your organization’s security posture.

What Is SBOM and Why It Matters

A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is a formal record containing the details and supply chain relationships of various components used in building software. It typically includes:

  • Component identification: Names, versions, and origins of libraries and modules.
  • Dependency relationships: How components relate and depend on each other.
  • License information: Licensing terms associated with each component.
  • Vulnerability data: Known vulnerabilities linked to specific components.

SBOMs are pivotal for:

  1. Transparency: Understanding exactly which third-party components are in your codebase.
  2. Vulnerability management: Quickly identifying if a newly disclosed CVE affects your software.
  3. Regulatory compliance: Meeting standards and regulations that mandate supply chain visibility.
  4. License compliance: Ensuring adherence to open-source license obligations.

Labrador OSS’s SBOM export functionality automates the generation of these critical documents, enabling teams to integrate SBOM creation seamlessly into their development and DevSecOps workflows.

Feature Overview: SBOM Standard Documents in Labrador OSS

Labrador OSS provides a dedicated section for SBOM within each project’s results, accessible under SBOM Standard Documents in the project menu. This feature allows users to generate SBOMs in two widely adopted formats:

  1. CycloneDX (JSON or XML)
  2. SPDX (Tag/Value, RDF, JSON, XML, YAML)

Both formats are supported, and users can define matching thresholds to control the granularity of component identification when exporting the SBOM. By offering dual-format support, Labrador OSS ensures compatibility with a broad ecosystem of SBOM analysis, visualization, and compliance tools.

Functionality Provided

The SBOM Standard Documents feature in Labrador OSS delivers the following key functionalities:

  • Format Flexibility: Choose between CycloneDX and SPDX, with multiple serialization options (JSON, XML, RDF, YAML, etc.) to match organizational or toolchain requirements.
  • Configurable Matching Rates: Set component matching rates and percentage thresholds to fine-tune which functions, files, or libraries are included, ensuring that the SBOM reflects your desired level of detail.
  • Downloadable Artifacts: Export the generated SBOM directly as downloadable files, facilitating integration into automated pipelines or manual audits.
  • Standards Compliance: Automatically adhere to the latest SBOM standards, reducing manual effort and minimizing the risk of non-compliance.

This robust functionality empowers development and security teams to achieve end-to-end SBOM generation without leaving the Labrador OSS interface.

How to Use SBOM Export in Labrador OSS

Below is a step-by-step guide to generating SBOM standard documents within the Labrador OSS platform:

1. Navigate to Your Project

  • From the main menu, click Projects and select the project for which you want to export an SBOM.
  • Ensure that the project has already been analyzed; the SBOM Standard Documents option appears once analysis results are available.

2. Open the SBOM Section

  • In the project’s left-side menu, expand the SBOM tab.
  • Click SBOM Standard Documents to access the SBOM export interface.

3. Choose Your Format

  • Select Labrador to CycloneDX or Labrador to SPDX based on your requirements.
  • For CycloneDX, you can download in JSON or XML format.
  • For SPDX, choose between Tag/Value, RDF, JSON, XML, or YAML formats.

4. Configure Matching Rate (Optional)

  • Adjust the matching rate to control how strictly Labrador OSS matches code artifacts to open-source components.
  • Set the percentage of file components to include. A higher threshold ensures more comprehensive listings but may introduce noise; lower thresholds streamline the SBOM but risk omitting less obvious dependencies.

5. Download the SBOM

  • Click the Download button at the top right of the SBOM export page.
  • The system generates and downloads the SBOM file according to your selected format and settings.

That’s it! You now have a standards-compliant SBOM ready for integration into vulnerability scanners, compliance systems, or security audits.

Deep Dive: CycloneDX Export

CycloneDX is a lightweight SBOM format designed for security use cases. Labrador OSS’s CycloneDX exporter offers:

  • JSON and XML outputs: Compatible with many modern tooling ecosystems.
  • Component metadata: Includes component name, version, supplier, hashes, and licenses.
  • Vulnerability references: Embeds known CVEs linked to each component when available.
  • Dependency graphs: Clearly delineates parent-child relationships between modules.

To generate a CycloneDX SBOM:

  1. Select Labrador to CycloneDX.
  2. Choose JSON or XML.
  3. Adjust the matching parameters if desired.
  4. Click Download.

The resulting SBOM can be imported into tools like OWASP Dependency-Check, Anchore, or CycloneDX Visualizer for further analysis.

Deep Dive: SPDX Export

The Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) format is another de facto standard for SBOMs, favored for its comprehensive metadata capabilities. Labrador OSS’s SPDX exporter provides:

  • Multiple serialization options: Tag/Value for human readability, RDF for linked-data applications, and JSON/XML/YAML for machine-readability.
  • License expressions: Declarative license representation per SPDX specifications.
  • Doc relationships: Represents relationships like ‘CONTAINS’, ‘DEPENDS_ON’, and ‘BUILD_TOOL_OF’.
  • Cross-references: Supports external document references and checksum validations.

To produce an SPDX SBOM:

  1. Click Labrador to SPDX.
  2. Select the desired serialization.
  3. Configure thresholds if needed.
  4. Press Download.

This SPDX document can feed into license compliance platforms, share with downstream consumers, or fulfill regulatory submission requirements.

Why Use SBOM Standard Documents in Labrador OSS?

Adopting SBOM generation within Labrador OSS yields significant benefits:

  1. Automated Compliance: Remove the manual burden of constructing SBOMs in disparate tools. Labrador OSS ensures consistency and accuracy.
  2. Security Posture Enhancement: By correlating SBOM data with vulnerability findings, teams can rapidly pinpoint risk exposure across their codebase.
  3. Supply Chain Transparency: SBOMs foster trust with customers and partners by providing verifiable lists of components and licenses.
  4. Regulatory Alignment: Emerging regulations (e.g., U.S. Executive Order 14028, EU Cyber Resilience Act) mandate SBOM availability; Labrador OSS keeps you audit-ready.
  5. Seamless Integration: With multiple format options, SBOMs generated by Labrador OSS slot effortlessly into existing DevSecOps pipelines and compliance workflows.

By centralizing SBOM generation alongside vulnerability analysis, Labrador OSS enables holistic supply chain risk management.

Best Practices for SBOM Generation

To maximize the value of your SBOM exports from Labrador OSS, consider the following:

  • Regular Regeneration: Automate SBOM exports after each build or CI pipeline run to capture evolving dependencies.
  • Threshold Calibration: Experiment with matching rates to balance comprehensiveness against noise. Document your chosen thresholds for reproducibility.
  • Version Control: Store SBOM outputs in version control alongside code to maintain historical records.
  • CI/CD Integration: Use scripting or API calls to invoke SBOM exports post-analysis and publish artifacts to artifact repositories or security dashboards.
  • Cross-Tool Validation: Feed exported SBOMs into complementary tools (e.g., Snyk, Black Duck, CycloneDX libraries) to detect any discrepancies or additional insights.

These practices ensure that your SBOMs remain actionable, accurate, and integrated within your security and development lifecycle.

TLD (If you are short on time)

The SBOM Standard Documents feature in Labrador OSS provides a powerful, flexible solution for generating industry-standard SBOMs in both CycloneDX and SPDX formats. By automating SBOM creation, offering granular configuration, and supporting multiple serialization options, Labrador OSS empowers organizations to enhance supply chain transparency, accelerate vulnerability response, and meet regulatory obligations with ease. Whether you’re a security engineer looking to streamline compliance or a development team striving for greater dependency visibility, leveraging Labrador OSS’s SBOM functionalities is a strategic step toward robust software supply chain security.

By integrating SBOM generation directly into your security analysis workflow, you can maintain a clear, up-to-date inventory of open-source components fortifying your software against emerging threats and compliance challenges alike.