Table of contents
Definition
A specification is a document detailing everything needed to implement a given feature or concept. The goal of specifications is to ensure interoperability when it comes to software that has both a giver and receiving end.
Think of it this way, if you had two teams, one building a plane and the other building the jet engine in two different buildings, the engine should fit the plane perfectly if they both follow the specification without further communication.
Example
Every programming language follows the JSON specification [↗] when implementing it. This ensures that the programming language can process any type of JSON [→] as long as the JSON object itself conforms to the JSON specification.
Summary
Specifications act as a blueprint for designing software components. A specification can be internal, meaning it pertains to components designed for use within an organization. You also have public specifications that define general concepts that ensure systems from different organizations can work with each other. Examples of public specifications include:
- The Open API specification [↗].
- JSON RPC [↗] specification.
- TCP/IP [↗] specification.
- Date-Time [↗] specification.
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