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2026-07-13 12:35:03 +08:00

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French Public Code Reuse Assessment Playbook

Guide Origin: Community | ArcKit Version: [VERSION]

/arckit:fr-code-reuse assesses public code reuse opportunities before building or procuring, following the legal obligation under Circulaire 2021-1524 (Prime Minister circular on free software and open source in public administration).


Inputs

Artefact Purpose
Requirements (ARC-<id>-REQ-v1.0.md) Functional requirements to match against existing code
Research (ARC-<id>-RES-v*.md) Market analysis context

Command

/arckit:fr-code-reuse Assess code reuse for <project scope and technology domain>

Output: projects/<id>/ARC-<id>-REUSE-v1.0.md


Assessment Structure

Section Contents
Legal Framework Circulaire 2021-1524, Loi 2016-1321 (République Numérique)
Component Inventory Software components needed (COMP-xx identifiers)
code.gouv.fr Results French public code catalogue search results
SILL Matches Recommended open source from SILL
EU Sources Joinup, EC Open Source Observatory results
Licence Compatibility EUPL-1.2, GPL, LGPL, Apache compatibility matrix
Decision Matrix For each component: Reuse / Fork / SILL / Procure / Build
Contribution-Back Plan Obligations when modifying existing public code
Publication Obligation If building new code: publication on code.gouv.fr required
Gap Analysis Components lacking reuse solution (build/procure justified)

Decision Matrix Options

Decision When to Use
Reuse as-is Existing code meets needs without modification
Fork and contribute back Existing code needs modification — contribution required
SILL adoption Software on ministerial recommended list
Procure No suitable open source; procurement required
Build and publish No existing solution; new code must be open-sourced

One-Page Workflow

Phase Key Activities ArcKit Commands
Discovery Requirements and component needs /arckit:requirements
Research Market and open source landscape /arckit:research
Reuse Code reuse assessment /arckit:fr-code-reuse
Procurement If procuring /arckit:fr-marche-public

Review Checklist

  • code.gouv.fr searched for each required component.
  • SILL checked for ministerially recommended alternatives.
  • EU public code sources (Joinup, EC OSS) consulted.
  • Licence compatibility assessed for all candidates (EUPL-1.2 recommended for public sector).
  • Decision matrix produced for each component with justification.
  • Contribution-back plan included for any forked public code.
  • Publication obligation documented for any new code developed.
  • Circulaire 2021-1524 compliance evidence included.

Key Notes

  • Legal obligation: Circulaire 2021-1524 makes code reuse a legal obligation — not a best practice. Failure to consider existing public code before building is non-compliant.
  • SILL = Socle Interministériel de Logiciels Libres — the inter-ministerial recommended open source stack, maintained by DINUM. Choosing software on the SILL avoids procurement for approved use cases.
  • Publication: New code developed by or for public administrations must be published as open source unless an explicit exemption applies (security, IP rights of third parties).
  • EUPL-1.2: The preferred licence for French public code — copyleft that is compatible with most open source licences and legally valid across all EU member states.