Software Engineering

Develop websites and services that are secure, reliable, and easy to maintain.

Federal websites are essential tools for unifying and communicating government information with the public in a timely manner. A well-developed website builds public trust in government and provides users with access to information when they need it. Follow up-to-date technical standards and software best practices to build accessible websites and digital services.

21st Century IDEA) & M-23-22

21st Century IDEA) & M-23-22

Software engineering: essential knowledge

Software Engineering events

The U.S. Web Design System team will give an update on their work developing web components for the design system.
2024
The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) team will chat with Center for Civic Design co-founder Whitney Quesenbery about designing accessible civic spaces.
2024
The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) team will go over some basics of Web Components and how they apply to the design system.
Watch Video
2024
Join the U.S. Web Design System team for a lesson on customizing and extending the design system.
Watch Video
2024

Software Engineering news

Managing a high-performing dream team in the federal government

Discover how the Open Data, Design, and Development (ODDD) team at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) transformed their federal projects with Agile methodologies, creating a culture of collaboration, accountability, and openness. From unique sprint names to engaging traditions and innovative knowledge-sharing practices, this blog post offers insights into building a high-performing dream team in government. — via Office of Natural Resources Revenue

Office of Natural Resources Revenue logo

Nov 27, 2023

Catching up with the TANF Data Portal project

Around 800,000 low-income American families receive cash assistance through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) each month. 18F and the Administration for Children & Families’ Office of Family Assistance partnered on building a new data portal for TANF. We caught up with Office of Family Assistance leaders to see how their agency is continuing with the work. — via 18F

18F logo

Sep 07, 2023

Resources on Software Engineering

  • An introduction to ATOs

    What is an Authorization to Operate? Before you use software in government, you need to make sure it is allowed. You should know what an ATO is and when you need one.

  • U.S. Web Design System

    A design system for the federal government that makes it easier to build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public.

  • Revised 508 Standards Roadmap

    Follow the Revised 508 Standards to ensure your information and communication technology (ICT) is accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities.

  • An introduction to GitHub

    Steps for managing website content in GitHub.

  • An Introduction to USWDS 3.0

    A design system for the federal government that makes it easier to build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public.

  • USWDS Maturity Model

    How to adopt the design system incrementally and design and build better digital experiences.

  • Requirements for delivering a digital-first public experience

    Learn how to implement 21st Century IDEA to design and deliver better websites and digital services.

  • 18F De-risking Guides

    The Federal Field Guide to De-risk Government Technology offers guidance to federal agencies on how to structure software development teams, write contracts, and oversee agile software activities to reduce risks and improve outcomes for end-users.

Tools and Services

  • 18F

    We help government agencies fix technical problems, build products, and improve how government serves the public through technology.

  • Presidential Innovation Fellows

    We help government agencies fix technical problems, build products, and improve how government serves the public through technology.

  • Resources.Data.gov

    An online repository of policies, schema standards, tools, best practices, and case studies to provide agencies with resources for federal data management.

  • U.S. Digital Corps

    A two-year fellowship for early-career technologists to start careers in public service, with professional development and mentorship.

  • U.S. Digital Service

    We deploy small, responsive groups of designers, engineers, product managers, and bureaucracy specialists to work with and empower civil servants.

  • Code.gov

    A collection of federal source code including open source software.

  • Data.gov

    Data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications.

  • DotGov Registry

    We make it easy to register and manage a .gov domain for US-based government organizations.

  • U.S. Web Design System

    A toolkit of principles, guidance, and code that helps agency digital teams build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites for the American public.

More News and Events on Software Engineering

282 posts

The U.S. Web Design System team will give an update on their work developing web components for the design system.
2024
The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) team will chat with Center for Civic Design co-founder Whitney Quesenbery about designing accessible civic spaces.
2024
The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) team will go over some basics of Web Components and how they apply to the design system.
Watch Video
2024
Join the U.S. Web Design System team for a lesson on customizing and extending the design system.
Watch Video
2024

Managing a high-performing dream team in the federal government

Discover how the Open Data, Design, and Development (ODDD) team at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) transformed their federal projects with Agile methodologies, creating a culture of collaboration, accountability, and openness. From unique sprint names to engaging traditions and innovative knowledge-sharing practices, this blog post offers insights into building a high-performing dream team in government. — via Office of Natural Resources Revenue

Office of Natural Resources Revenue logo

Nov 27, 2023

Catching up with the TANF Data Portal project

Around 800,000 low-income American families receive cash assistance through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) each month. 18F and the Administration for Children & Families’ Office of Family Assistance partnered on building a new data portal for TANF. We caught up with Office of Family Assistance leaders to see how their agency is continuing with the work. — via 18F

18F logo

Sep 07, 2023

Inclusive Design Patterns Research Report

The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) is excited to provide a new library of guidance and examples focused on key digital interactions — what we call design patterns — that foster effective, inclusive, and equitable digital experiences. This online report has four pages; Summary, Findings, What’s Next, and Get Involved. It also links to the new patterns section, where you can learn how to help your users complete a complex form, identify and select a preferred language, or create a user profile. — via U.S. Web Design System

U.S. Web Design System logo

Nov 16, 2022

The 18F Engineering Sandwich for Cloud-based Web Apps

The 18F Engineering Sandwich for Cloud-based Web Apps—18F Engineering is often thought of as a technology shop, but that’s too broad. There are very few technology choices we actually make at the project level, so, more often than not, we combine a limited set of technologies to make our applications. To explain this, we’ll use the metaphor of a sandwich shop. — via 18F

18F logo

Sep 06, 2022

Helping People Discover Benefits With the New BEARS Locator

Helping People Discover Benefits With the New BEARS Locator—Back in March, we shared about the work we were doing to develop BEARS, the Benefits Eligibility Awareness Resource Service. USAGov’s new online locator tool, available in English on USA.gov and in Spanish on USAGov en Español, helps people find government benefits and services geared to major life events. It officially launched in early August, and we wanted to give you an update. — via USA.gov

USA.gov logo

Aug 30, 2022