Labels are one of the more powerful features of Sonatype CLM, though they operate similar to other label or tagging systems you have likely used. Basically you create a number of labels or tags as a set of available values and then assign them.

For example in a photo collection you could have labels for the content like sunset', mountain, ocean, waterfall and so on. An individual photo could then have multiple of these labels assigned. In a similar way you can use labels in Sonatype CLM to identify a particular type of component. An approved component or a component that needs research. Labels can be anything you desire and can have a number of contexts as well. Some labels might be architecture related, while others are related to legal and security properties and yet others are simply signaling ownership by a specific team. The flexibility of the label system allows you to design your own use cases and implement them.

Label creation and management is performed in the Sonatype CLM server organization and application configuration. Assigning those labels to a particular component is a function of the application composition report.

Figure 6.1. Labels at the CLM Server Level