  The Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) has emerged as a promising solution,
providing a machine-readable inventory of software components used, thus
bolstering supply chain security. This paper presents an extensive study
concerning the practical aspects of SBOM practice. Leveraging an analysis of
4,786 GitHub discussions from 510 SBOM-related projects, our research
delineates key topics, challenges, and solutions intrinsic to the effective
utilization of SBOMs. Furthermore, we shed light on commonly used tools and
frameworks for generating SBOMs, exploring their respective strengths and
limitations. Our findings underscore the pivotal role SBOMs play in ensuring
resilient software development practices and underscore the imperative of their
widespread integration to bolster supply chain security. The insights accrued
from our study hold significance as valuable input for prospective research and
development in this crucial domain.
