Direct answer
Software Environment, in this source contract, is limited to the following inspected scope. Content-addressed manifests, configuration, layers, media types, and digests for container images. Current local runtime-provenance receipt behavior. The answer carries the source boundaries forward and does not infer authority from a neighboring topic.
Source contract
Accept a source only after identity, version, locator, rights, claim scope, and boundary checks all pass.
Metadata or topical similarity alone cannot satisfy passage-level support.
Applied scope: Content-addressed manifests, configuration, layers, media types, and digests for container images. Current local runtime-provenance receipt behavior.
Definition and operating context
The canonical concept owner is maha-research. This route may apply evidence; it cannot redefine or inherit the authority of its canonical owner.
This property may publish research objects, machine-readable provenance, reproduction protocols. It must not publish sales copy or unsupported interpretation.
Evidence and exact locators
Open Container Initiative Image Format Specification — Image Manifest, Image Index, Image Configuration, Layers, and content descriptors. Establishes: Content-addressed manifests, configuration, layers, media types, and digests for container images.
Maha computational witness receipt — runtime, inputs, environment, seed, and receipt digest fields. Establishes: Current local runtime-provenance receipt behavior.
What the evidence does not establish
An image digest identifies declared image content; it does not capture every host, kernel, device, network, or runtime dependency.
A receipt attests recorded inputs and environment metadata; it does not prove scientific validity or complete environmental capture.
This route must not claim sales copy.
This route must not claim unsupported interpretation.
Related definitions and applications
same-topic-application: https://research.mahastrategies.com/federation/research/software-environment/definition
graphEdges: https://research.mahastrategies.com/federation/research/source-identity/definition
same-topic-application: https://research.mahastrategies.com/federation/research/software-environment/fixture
same-topic-application: https://research.mahastrategies.com/federation/research/software-environment/relationships
property-home: https://research.mahastrategies.com/
same-topic-application: https://research.mahastrategies.com/federation/research/software-environment/method
Questions this page can answer
What does Software Environment mean in this bounded context?
Software Environment, in this source contract, is limited to the following inspected scope. Content-addressed manifests, configuration, layers, media types, and digests for container images. Current local runtime-provenance receipt behavior. The answer carries the source boundaries forward and does not infer authority from a neighboring topic.
Which inspected sources support this source contract answer?
Open Container Initiative Image Format Specification (release 1.1.1), at Image Manifest, Image Index, Image Configuration, Layers, and content descriptors, supports content-addressed manifests, configuration, layers, media types, and digests for container images. Maha computational witness receipt (repository source inspected 2026-09-05), at runtime, inputs, environment, seed, and receipt digest fields, supports current local runtime-provenance receipt behavior.
What does the evidence not establish?
An image digest identifies declared image content; it does not capture every host, kernel, device, network, or runtime dependency. A receipt attests recorded inputs and environment metadata; it does not prove scientific validity or complete environmental capture. Property boundary: This route may apply evidence; it cannot redefine or inherit the authority of its canonical owner.
Which definition or canonical owner must be read first?
This page is the local maha-research definition for its topic. Related applications may depend on it but may not silently redefine it.
What source, policy, implementation, or release change would require revision?
Re-evaluate this page when a cited source, locator, governing instrument, local implementation, or canonical definition changes. Publication also requires a matching exact-revision review and active canonical release.