AUTOSAR defines a common software infrastructure based on standardized interfaces. This includes different APIs that separate the various software layers. The encapsulation of software components and their associated data types is pre-defined. In order to enable these software components to function, the software infrastructure, including basic software modules, is identified and specified. These basic software modules also have their own standardized interfaces, enabling partitioning and the better use of resources while still allowing local optimization to meet specific non-functional constraints.

The AUTOSAR software component (SW-C) is the most important structural element. As with UML 2.0, the AUTOSAR software components have ports to interact with the outside world. In both UML and AUTOSAR, required and provided interfaces can be modeled.