Component-Based Software Engineering

Interface: specification of component behavior and properties.

Naming: global unique names for components and interfaces.

Meta data: information about components, interfaces and their relationships; APIs to services providing such information.

Interoperability: communication and data exchange among components from different vendors, implemented in different languages.

Customization: interfaces for customized components.

Composition: interfaces and rules for combining components to creat larger structures.

Evolution support: rules and services for replacing components or interfaces by newer versions.

Packaging and deployment: packaging implementation and resources needed for installing and configuring a component.