The AUTOSAR Classic Platform is a software platform with a layered software architecture defined by AUTOSAR which is used for deeply embedded systems and application software with high requirements for predictability, safety, security and responsiveness. It distinguishes at the highest level of abstraction between three software layers running on a microcontroller: Application, Runtime Environment (RTE) and Basic Software (BSW), and provides a modular and scalable approach to software development.

The AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform implements the AUTOSAR Runtime for Adaptive Applications (ARA) and consists of functional clusters grouped into Services and the AUTOSAR Adaptive Basis. It provides two types of interfaces, Services and APIs, and is the AUTOSAR solution for high-performance ECUs to build safety-related systems. The platform is designed to meet the requirements of highly automated vehicles and supports dynamic updates and reconfigurations of software systems.

The AUTOSAR Foundation Standard is intended to ensure interoperability between AUTOSAR platforms and contains common requirements and technical specifications (e.g. protocols) that are used by the other AUTOSAR standards. Special attention was paid to the interoperability of the AUTOSAR classic and adaptive platform standards. Accordingly, the generic artifacts of these two platforms are included. In addition, the standard also provides artifacts that enable compatibility between non-AUTOSAR and AUTOSAR platforms.

The AUTOSAR application interfaces are standardized signals of the application software that can be used by applications to communicate with each other. This standardization allows applications from different manufacturers to be combined with each other or an application from one manufacturer to be reused in different projects. The standardization is carried out in terms of syntax and semantics for the various vehicle domains. In addition, AUTOSAR defines implementation patterns for the provision of certain signals from the sensor data.