Podling Committer Onboarding

1. Welcome

Congratulations on becoming a committer for your podling in the Apache Incubator! 🎉
This is an important milestone in your journey with The ASF.

As a committer on a new incubating project, you now can make direct changes to the codebase and documentation.
More importantly, you are part of building the community and culture that will help your podling grow and eventually graduate as a Top-Level Project (TLP).

This guide explains your responsibilities, expectations, and how you fit into The ASF community.

2. What Is a Committer?

• A committer is someone who has earned the trust of the Podling Project Management Committee (PPMC) to write directly to the project’s repositories.
• Committers are contributors with added responsibility, not just people with technical access.

Key difference from a PPMC member:

3. Responsibilities of a Committer

1. Code and documentation contributions

   • Review and commit patches.
   • Ensure code meets project quality and style guidelines.
   • Write clear commit messages.

2. Community participation

   • Discuss changes on the dev@ mailing list.
   • Respond to contributor questions and reviews.
   • Be welcoming to newcomers.

3. ASF practices

   • Follow The ASF’s licensing, NOTICE, and release rules.
   • Keep discussions transparent and on the mailing list.
   • Respect The ASF Code of Conduct.

4. Communication & Transparency

• The public dev list is the preferred place for project discussions.
• Side channels (Slack, GitHub comments) are fine for quick collaboration, but decisions must still be made on the mailing list.
• Private lists (private@podling.incubator.apache.org) are for sensitive topics only (e.g., committer votes, personal conflicts).

5. Merit and Trust

• Being a committer is about trust and responsibility, not just technical ability.
• Your actions should build confidence that you are:
  • Respectful of others’ contributions.
  • Responsible with commit rights.
  • Transparent in communication.

6. How Commits Work

• Use pull requests (PRs) or patches where possible so others can review.
• Don’t “sneak in” large changes without discussion.
• Small fixes (typos, formatting) can be committed directly.
• Larger features or changes should be discussed first on the mailing list.

📌 Note: Different projects may operate slightly differently. Some use a “review-then-commit” model, while others use “commit-then-review.” Be sure to check what approach your podling community follows.

7. Voting Rights

• Committers do not have binding votes on:
  • Releases
  • Adding new committers
  • Adding new PPMC members
  • Setting technical direction or policy
• These responsibilities belong to the PPMC.

Committers influence the project through their contributions, reviews, and participation in discussions. Strong, sustained contributions are often the path to being invited onto the PPMC.

8. Releases

• Only the PPMC and the Incubator PMC (IPMC) can vote on releases.
• Committers help by:
  • Building release candidates.
  • Testing and reviewing them.
  • Checking LICENSE/NOTICE files.
  • Flagging issues early so the PPMC can address them.

⚡ Remember: Every release must follow The ASF’s licensing and distribution rules.

9. Infrastructure Basics

• Committers use an ASF ID for access.
• You must have a signed Individual Contributor License Agreement (ICLA) on file with The ASF Secretary before your account can be created.
• You will need to:
  • Subscribe to the project’s mailing lists.
  • Use ASF infrastructure responsibly (e.g., GitHub repos, mailing lists, JIRA if used).
• For help:
  • Ask your mentors or PPMC members if unsure.

10. The Apache Way

• Community over Code means the long-term health of the community is more important than any single feature or line of code.
• Meritocracy means responsibilities are earned through contribution and trust.
• Consensus Building is about working to reach an agreement through discussion, with decisions made openly.
• Open and Transparent Communications means keeping communication public and archived on mailing lists.
• Responsible Oversight means project decisions are made collectively, with committers and the PPMC acting as stewards for The ASF.
• Independence means healthy communities include contributors from different backgrounds and organizations, and do not rely on a single company.

11. Code of Conduct

• The ASF Code of Conduct applies to all committers.
• Be respectful and assume good faith in all interactions.
• If issues arise:
  • Raise them calmly on the dev list.
  • Escalate to the PPMC or mentors if needed.

12. Common Activities for New Committers

• Merge a contributor’s pull request.
• Fix a bug or typo directly in the repository.
• Join in testing and reviewing a release candidate.
• Help answer a newcomer’s question on the mailing list.
• Participate in a design discussion on dev@.

13. Time Commitment

• There’s no fixed expectation.
• Some committers contribute daily, others only occasionally.
• What matters most is responsiveness — even small, steady contributions help.

14. Good Practices

✅ Always write clear commit messages.
✅ Follow the project’s coding standards.
✅ Discuss before making large changes.
✅ Be respectful and collaborative.
✅ Share credit — acknowledge others’ work in commits and discussions.

15. FAQs

Q: Can I commit anything I want now?
A: No. Major changes must be discussed first. Commit access is about responsibility, not freedom to bypass the community.

Q: Do I get a binding vote on releases?
A: No. Only PPMC members and mentors have binding votes on releases during the incubation period.

Q: Why don’t committers have binding votes?
A: Because binding votes are tied to oversight responsibilities, not just technical ability.
The PPMC is responsible for project governance, releases, and ensuring ASF policies are followed.
Committers influence the technical direction through their contributions and discussions, but governance authority rests with the PPMC.

Q: How do I get access to the private list?
A: Committers do not have access to the private list. Only PPMC members and mentors use it.

Q: Can I propose a new committer?
A: Yes. Committers can suggest candidates, but only the PPMC can hold the formal vote and invite them.

Q: What if I disagree with a PPMC decision?
A: Raise your concerns on the dev list. Committers’ perspectives are valued, but final authority rests with the PPMC.

Q: What if I make a mistake in a commit?
A: Mistakes happen. Fix it with a follow-up commit, and explain clearly on the list.

Q: How do I become a PPMC member?
A: The PPMC may later nominate you if you show sustained contributions and community leadership.

Q: What if I stop contributing?
A: That’s fine. There is no penalty for inactivity. If you return later, you can pick up where you left off.

16. Next Steps

As a new committer, you should:

1. Subscribe to your podling’s dev@ mailing list.
2. Introduce yourself briefly.
3. Read the Incubator Release Management Guide:
   https://incubator.apache.org/guides/releasemanagement.html
4. Make your first commit or merge a small PR.

17. Resources

• Incubator Website: https://incubator.apache.org
• The ASF Policies: https://www.apache.org/legal/
• The ASF Code of Conduct: https://www.apache.org/foundation/policies/conduct
• Release Guidelines: https://incubator.apache.org/guides/releasemanagement.html