What are Foundation 'Projects'?

To support hundreds of software development projects, the Apache Software Foundation has created a handful of committees with a foundation wide scope and each with their own specific part to play. These committees include:

The ASF have also created specific officer roles with a foundation wide scope:

Infrastructure

The ASF does not have offices or buildings, it's a virtual entity that exists only on the internet. Its only physical existence is the technical infrastructure that enables it to operate.

The ASF has an Infrastructure team that is responsible for the management and day-to-day system administration and operation of the various hardware that runs the above services.

For more regarding the Infrastructure team, see the Infrastructure webpage.

Incubator

The Incubator project is the entry path into ASF for projects and codebases wishing to become part of the Foundation's efforts. All code donations from external organisations and existing external projects wishing to join Apache enter through the Incubator.

The Apache Incubator has two primary goals:

  • Ensure all donations are in accordance with ASF legal standards

  • Develop new communities that adhere to the ASF's guiding principles

For more regarding Apache Incubator, see the Incubator website.

Labs

The labs committee -- an incubator for new projects from existing Apache communities. Contrast this to the Apache Incubator which is for developing new communities.

For more regarding Apache Labs, see the Labs website.

Attic

The attic committee -- where discontinued, abandoned, and retired codebases and projects are stored. The Attic preserves the information for posterity, reference, and potential future re-activation, while keeping it clearly distinct from active work.

For more regarding the Apache Attic, see the Attic website.

Travel Assistance

The travel assistance committee -- exists to help those that would like to attend ApacheCon events, but are unable to do so for financial reasons.

For more regarding Apache Travel Assistance, see the Travel page.

Community Development

The community development committee -- is focused on helping newcomers understand how the ASF works and giving them then confidence to participate more directly.

For more regarding Apache Community Development, see the Community site.

Conference Planning

The conference organizing committee (aka concom) -- responsible for the organization of the official ASF conference (aka ApacheCon)

For more regarding Apache conferences, see the Conferences page.

Security

The security committee -- responsible for the handling of potential security holes in the software produced by the foundation that might impact our users. It gets contacted by the finders of the problems before the problem report is made available to the public, to allow the projects to provide a fix in time for the report, thus reducing vulnerability to a minimum.

For more regarding Apache Security, see the Security page.

Legal Affairs

The legal affairs committee -- responsible for the legal issues associated with licensing and license compatibilities and for the revision of the Apache Software License

VP, JCP

The JCP officer -- responsible for the liaison between the ASF and the Java Community Process (the ASF is a member of the JCP Executive Committee)

For more regarding the ASF and the JCP, see our JCP page.

VP, W3C Relations

The W3C Relations officer -- responsible for the liaison between the ASF and the World Wide Web Consoritum.

VP, Brand Management

The Brand Management officer -- responsible for trademark licensing and other issues regarding management of the Apache brand aspects of the foundation.

VP, Fundraising

The Fundraising officer -- responsible, oddly enough, for the fund raising aspects of the foundation.

VP, Marketing and Publicity

The Marketing and Publicity officer -- responsible for public relations and for the press-related issues such as press releases for major ASF events or dispatching requests for interviews.

For more regarding how the ASF handles press inquiries, see our Media and Analyst Relations page.