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Contributor Prerequisites

connectCenter (formerly Score) is a multi-module platform for Core Component Specification (CCS / UN/CEFACT CCTS) library development, BIE profiling, and schema generation. Contributing effectively means being comfortable with both the technology stack of the module you're touching and the standards domain the product implements.

connectCenter was formerly "Score"

connectCenter was previously named Score. The module directories (score-http, score-web, …), Java packages, and the published container images (oagi1docker/srt-web, oagi1docker/srt-http-gateway, oagi1docker/srt-repo) still carry the legacy naming; only the product name changed.

This page outlines what helps to know before diving in. You don't need mastery of everything — most contributors specialize in one or two modules — but a working familiarity with the relevant items below will make the codebase far easier to navigate.

tip

For setting up a working build, see Development Setup. For how the modules fit together, see the Architecture Overview.

Technology stack by module​

connectCenter is split into several independently built modules. Pick the rows that match what you intend to work on.

score-http — backend REST API​

The core backend, built as a WAR with packages under org.oagi.score.gateway.http.api.*.

  • Java 17+ — the project compiles with maven.compiler.source/target set to 17 (see score-http/pom.xml). Spring Boot 3.x requires Java 17 as a minimum.
  • Spring Boot 3.5.x — the Maven parent is spring-boot-starter-parent:3.5.15. Familiarity with Spring MVC, Spring Security (OAuth2 client + resource server), Spring Session, and Spring WebSocket is useful.
  • jOOQ 3.20.x — the data-access layer uses jOOQ (not JPA/Hibernate). Generated entity classes live under org.oagi.score.gateway.http.common.repository.jooq.entity. Understanding type-safe SQL with jOOQ is essential for backend work.
  • MySQL / MariaDB — the JDBC URL targets MariaDB (org.mariadb.jdbc.Driver), and schema migrations are managed with Flyway. Comfort with relational schema design and SQL administration pays off.
  • Redis — used for session storage and distributed coordination (via Lettuce and Redisson, plus Spring Session).
  • Maven — the build tool for this module.
Spring AI / MCP

score-http also pulls in the Spring AI BOM and an MCP (Model Context Protocol) client starter. You only need to understand these if you're working in the AI-related areas of the backend.

score-web — frontend SPA​

The single-page web application.

  • Angular ~21.2 — score-web/package.json pins @angular/core to ~21.2.17. (The published score-web version is 3.5.2.) Component architecture, RxJS, and Angular Material are core to this module.
  • TypeScript ~5.9 — all frontend code is TypeScript.
  • Node.js 22.x — the engines field requires Node 22.x.
  • RxJS, Angular Material, Bootstrap — the UI relies on reactive streams and the Material component set.
  • Tooling — ESLint for linting, Vitest for unit tests, and Playwright for browser tests.

score-external-api — external REST API​

A standalone, externally facing API layer.

  • NestJS 11 — built on @nestjs/core ^11, running on Node.js with TypeScript. Decorators, dependency injection, and NestJS modules are the key concepts.
  • Tested with Jest.

connect-center-api — Python companion service​

A FastAPI + FastMCP service.

  • Python 3.11+ — pyproject.toml declares requires-python = ">=3.11".
  • FastAPI and FastMCP — the HTTP and MCP surfaces, respectively.
  • SQLAlchemy (async) with an async MariaDB driver (asyncmy), plus Pydantic for settings/validation.
  • Tested with pytest.

Supporting modules​

  • score-repo — SQL schema (score-schema.sql) and the mig_*.sql migration scripts in score-repo/scripts. Knowing SQL and the MySQL/MariaDB dialect helps here.
  • score-e2e — Selenium-based end-to-end tests (Java).

General development skills​

Regardless of module, you'll want:

  • Git — branch from develop; master is the release branch.
  • Docker / docker compose — the stack ships as a multi-container composition (frontend, backend, MySQL/MariaDB, Redis). Use the modern docker compose (v2 plugin), not the legacy docker-compose binary.
  • REST / HTTP, JSON, OAuth2 — the modules communicate over REST and authenticate via OAuth2.

Domain background (CCS / CCTS)​

connectCenter implements UN/CEFACT's Core Component Technical Specification (CCTS), standardized as ISO 15000-5. A solid grasp of the domain makes the data model and UI vocabulary far more intelligible:

  • Core Component Specification / CCTS (ISO 15000-5) — the conceptual model behind ACCs, BCCs, ASCCs, BDTs, the Core Component library, and Business Information Entities (BIEs) — context-specific profiles derived from core components (the "BIE profiling" workflow). This is the single most important domain concept for understanding the product. Read the CCTS v3.0 specification and the CCTS Data Type Catalogue v3.0.

A contributor working on schema generation should additionally understand the output formats the product produces:

  • XML Schema (XSD) — XML schema generation is a primary output.
  • JSON Schema — JSON schema generation, including features like const.
  • OpenAPI 3.x — OpenAPI document generation (operations, security schemes, operation IDs).
Where to focus

If you're contributing to the library/BIE features, prioritize the CCTS domain background. If you're contributing to export/schema generation, prioritize XML Schema, JSON Schema, and OpenAPI. If you're contributing to infrastructure or APIs, prioritize the technology stack of the relevant module.

Next steps​

  • Development Setup — set up a local build, run the stack, and follow the contributor workflow.
  • Architecture Overview — how score-http, score-web, score-external-api, connect-center-api, and the supporting modules relate.