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Draft Apache Kafka Project Bylaws
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Within the Kafka project, different types of decisions require different forms of approval. For example, the previous section describes several decisions which require 'lazy consensus' approval. This section defines how voting is performed, the types of approvals, and which types of decision require which type of approval.
Voting
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Vote | Meaning |
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+1 | 'Yes,' 'Agree,' or 'the action should be performed.' |
+0 | Neutral about the proposed action (or mildly negative but not enough so to want to block it). |
-1 | This is a negative vote. On issues where consensus is required, this vote counts as a veto. All vetoes must contain an explanation of why the veto is appropriate. Vetoes with no explanation are void. It may also be appropriate for a -1 vote to include an alternative course of action. |
All participants in the Kafka project are encouraged to show their agreement with or against a particular action by voting. For technical decisions, only the votes of active committers are binding. Non-binding votes are still useful for those with binding votes to understand the perception of an action in the wider Kafka community. For PMC decisions, only the votes of active PMC members are binding.
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Approval Type | Definition |
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Lazy Consensus | Lazy consensus requires 3 binding +1 votes and no binding vetoes. |
Lazy Majority | A lazy majority vote requires 3 binding +1 votes and more binding +1 votes that than -1 votes. |
Lazy Approval | An action with lazy approval is implicitly allowed unless a -1 vote is received, at which time, depending on the type of action, either lazy majority or lazy consensus approval must be obtained. |
2/3 Majority | Some actions require a 2/3 majority of active committers or PMC members to pass. Such actions typically affect the foundation of the project (e.g. adopting a new codebase to replace an existing product). The higher threshold is designed to ensure such changes are strongly supported. To pass this vote requires at least 2/3 of binding vote holders to vote +1. |
Vetos
A valid, binding veto cannot be overruled. If a veto is cast, it must be accompanied by a valid reason explaining the reasons for the veto. The validity of a veto, if challenged, can be confirmed by anyone who has a binding vote. This does not necessarily signify agreement with the veto - merely that the veto is valid.
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Actions | Description | Approval | Binding Votes | Minimum Length | Mailing List |
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Code Change | A change made to a codebase of the project and committed by a committer. This includes source code, documentation, website content, etc. | one +1 from a committer who has not authored the patch followed by a Lazy approval (not counting the vote of the contributor), moving to lazy majority if a -1 is received | Active committers | 0 | JIRA or Review Board ( with notification sent to dev@kafka.apache.org) |
Release Plan | Defines the timetable and actions for a release. The plan also nominates a Release Manager. | Lazy majority | Active committers | 3 | dev@kafka.apache.org |
Product Release | When a release of one of the project's products is ready, a vote is required to accept the release as an official release of the project. | Lazy Majority | Active PMC members | 3 | dev@kafka.apache.org |
Adoption of New Codebase | When the codebase for an existing, released product is to be replaced with an alternative codebase. If such a vote fails to gain approval, the existing code base will continue. This also covers the creation of new sub-projects and submodules within the project. | 2/3 majority | Active PMC members | 6 | dev@kafka.apache.org |
New Committer | When a new committer is proposed for the project. | Lazy consensus | Active PMC members | 3 7 | private@kafka.apache.org |
New PMC Member | When a committer is proposed for the PMC. | Lazy consensus | Active PMC members | 3 | private@kafka.apache.org |
Emeritus PMC Member re-instatement | When an emeritus PMC member requests to be re-instated as an active PMC member. | Lazy consensus | Active PMC members | 3 | private@kafka.apache.org |
Emeritus Committer re-instatement | When an emeritus committer requests to be re-instated as an active committer. | Lazy consensus | Active PMC members | 3 | private@kafka.apache.org |
Committer Removal | When removal of commit privileges is sought. | Consensus | Active PMC members (excluding the committer in question if a member of the PMC). | 6 | private@kafka.apache.org |
PMC Member Removal | When removal of a PMC member is sought. | Consensus | Active PMC members (excluding the member in question). | 6 | private@kafka.apache.org |
Modifying Bylaws | Modifying this document. | 2/3 majority | Active PMC members | 6 | dev@kafka.apache.org |