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Contribution Guidelines

Read the contribution process before submitting code or documentation. Separate pages cover committer nominations, mailing-list subscriptions, and release validation. Contributor agreements follow the official ASF ICLA/CCLA process.

1 - Contribute to the HugeGraph Community

Choose How to Contribute

You can report problems through GitHub Issues, or contribute code, tests, or documentation. Before starting a substantial change, consider opening an issue that explains its scope to avoid duplicated work.

The following example uses apache/hugegraph. The same process applies to other HugeGraph repositories, but follow each repository’s README.md, AGENTS.md, and CI configuration for its build and test commands.

Prepare the Repository

Fork the HugeGraph repository on GitHub

Fork apache/hugegraph on GitHub, then clone your fork:

git clone https://github.com/<your-name>/hugegraph.git
cd hugegraph
git remote add upstream https://github.com/apache/hugegraph.git
git fetch upstream master

Do not develop directly on master. Use a separate branch for each change:

git switch master
git merge --ff-only upstream/master
git switch -c fix/<short-description>

Make and Verify Changes

HugeGraph Server code is under hugegraph-server/. For example, the core module is located at:

hugegraph-server/hugegraph-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hugegraph/

Run the tests directly related to your change first. Common Server test commands include:

# Core tests with the in-memory backend
mvn test -pl hugegraph-server/hugegraph-test -am -P core-test,memory

# API tests with the RocksDB backend
mvn test -pl hugegraph-server/hugegraph-test -am -P api-test,rocksdb

# Format files and verify compilation
mvn editorconfig:format
mvn clean compile -Dmaven.javadoc.skip=true

GitHub requires a username and token for Git authentication instead of a username and password. Create a personal access token at https://github.com/settings/tokens:

Authenticate Git pushes with a personal access token

When adding a third-party dependency, also update the license information included in the distribution:

  1. Add the dependency’s license file to hugegraph-server/hugegraph-dist/release-docs/licenses/.
  2. Update hugegraph-server/hugegraph-dist/release-docs/LICENSE. If the dependency includes a NOTICE file, update NOTICE as well.
  3. Run hugegraph-server/hugegraph-dist/scripts/dependency/regenerate_known_dependencies.sh to update the known-dependency list.

Submit a Pull Request

Make sure the email address used for your commits is associated with your GitHub account. See https://github.com/settings/emails for instructions:

Verify your commit email on GitHub

Use the type(module): message format for commit messages, for example:

git add <changed-files>
git commit -m "fix(core): handle empty vertex query"
git push -u origin fix/<short-description>

Then open a pull request from your fork branch to apache/hugegraph:master. Explain the problem, the implementation, and the validation commands you actually ran. Include screenshots for UI changes.

Address Review Feedback

If CI fails or a reviewer requests changes, continue committing and pushing to the same branch. Rebase when you need to synchronize with upstream:

git fetch upstream master
git rebase upstream/master
git push --force-with-lease

Do not overwrite the remote branch with plain --force. After all CI and review requirements are satisfied, a project maintainer will merge the pull request.

Contributor agreements follow the official ASF process. See the Contributor Agreement.

2 - Subscribe to the Community Mailing List

HugeGraph uses dev@hugegraph.apache.org for development and usage discussions. Subscribe before sending messages to the list; messages from non-subscribers may be rejected.

Subscribe

  1. From the email address you want to subscribe, send a message with any subject and body to dev-subscribe@hugegraph.apache.org.
  2. Reply directly to the confirmation message.
  3. After receiving the subscription confirmation, you can send messages to dev@hugegraph.apache.org.

If the confirmation does not arrive, check your spam folder and automatic mail categories. If it is still missing, wait a while and send the subscription message again.

You can browse public messages in the ASF Mailing List Archives without subscribing.

Unsubscribe

  1. From your subscribed address, send a message to dev-unsubscribe@hugegraph.apache.org.
  2. Reply directly to the confirmation message from dev-help@hugegraph.apache.org.
  3. Unsubscription is complete when you receive a message whose subject contains GOODBYE.

For general ASF mailing-list guidance, see Apache Mailing Lists.

3 - Validate Apache Release

Note: this doc will be updated continuously. Use Java 11 for runtime verification. Since version 1.5.0, components other than the client no longer support Java 8.

Graduation note: Apache HugeGraph graduated in January 2026. Official release voting is now completed within the HugeGraph community (PMC binding votes on dev@hugegraph.apache.org), and no longer requires Incubator general@incubator.apache.org approval.

Verification

When the internal temporary release and packaging work is completed, other community developers ( especially PMC) need to participate in verification based on ASF release policy and checklist references:

  • ASF release policy
  • Incubator checklist (historical reference) To ensure the “correctness + completeness” of someone’s published version, here requires **everyone ** to participate as much as possible, and then explain which items you have checked in the subsequent email reply.(The following are the core items)

1. prepare

If there is no svn or gpg or wget environment locally, it is recommended to install it first (windows recommend using WSL2 environment, or at least git-bash), also make sure to install java (prefer Java 11) and maven software

# 1. install svn
# ubuntu/debian
sudo apt install subversion -y
# MacOS
brew install subversion
# To verify that the installation was successful, execute the following command:
svn --version

# 2. install gpg
# ubuntu/debian
sudo apt-get install gnupg -y
# MacOS
brew install gnupg
# To verify that the installation was successful, execute the following command:
gpg --version

# 3. install wget (we will enhance it later, like use `curl`)
# ubuntu/debian
sudo apt-get install wget -y
# MacOS
brew install wget

# 4. Download the hugegraph-svn directory 
# For version number, pay attention to fill in the verification version
svn co https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/hugegraph/1.x.x/
# (Note) If svn downloads a file very slowly, 
# you can consider wget to download a single file, as follows (or consider using a proxy)
wget https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/hugegraph/1.x.x/apache-hugegraph-toolchain-incubating-1.x.x.tar.gz

2. check hash value

First you need to check the file integrity of the source + binary package, Verify by shasum to ensure that it is consistent with the hash value published on apache/GitHub (Usually sha512), Here is the same as the last step of 0x02 inspection.

execute the following command:
for i in *.tar.gz; do echo $i; shasum -a 512 --check  $i.sha512; done

3. check gpg signature

This is to ensure that the published package is uploaded by a reliable person. Assuming tom signs and uploads, others should download A’s public key and then perform signature confirmation.

Related commands:

# 1. Download project trusted public key to local (required for the first time) & import
curl  https://downloads.apache.org/hugegraph/KEYS > KEYS
gpg --import KEYS

# After importing, you can see the following output, which means that x user public keys have been imported
gpg: /home/ubuntu/.gnupg/trustdb.gpg: trustdb created
gpg: key BA7E78F8A81A885E: public key "imbajin (apache mail) <jin@apache.org>" imported
gpg: key 818108E7924549CC: public key "vaughn <vaughn@apache.org>" imported
gpg: key 28DCAED849C4180E: public key "coderzc (CODE SIGNING KEY) <zhaocong@apache.org>" imported
...
gpg: Total number processed: x
gpg:               imported: x

# 2. Trust release users (trust n username mentioned in voting mail, if more than one user, 
#      just repeat the steps in turn or use the script below)
gpg --edit-key $USER # input the username, enter the interactive mode
gpg> trust
...output options..
Your decision? 5 # select 5
Do you really want to set this key to ultimate trust? (y/N) y # slect y, then q quits trusting the next user

# (Optional) You could also use the command to trust one user in non-interactive mode:
echo -e "5\ny\n" | gpg --batch --command-fd 0 --edit-key $USER trust
# Or trust all currently imported GPG public keys (review them carefully first):
for key in $(gpg --no-tty --list-keys --with-colons | awk -F: '/^pub/ {print $5}'); do
  echo -e "5\ny\n" | gpg --batch --command-fd 0 --edit-key "$key" trust
done


# 3. Check the signature (make sure there is no Warning output, every source/binary file prompts Good Signature)
#Single file verification
gpg --verify xx.asc xxx-src.tar.gz
gpg --verify xx.asc xxx.tar.gz # Note: without the bin/binary suffix

# One-click shell traversal verification (recommended)
for i in *.tar.gz; do echo $i; gpg --verify $i.asc $i ; done

First confirm the overall integrity/consistency, and then confirm the specific content (key)

4. Check the archive contents

Check the contents of the archive downloaded from preparation work. Divided into two aspects: source code package + binary package, The source code package is stricter, it can be said that the core part (Because it is longer, For a complete list refer to the official Wiki)

A. source package

After decompressing *hugegraph*src.tar.gz, Do the following checks:

  1. package/folder naming should match the release line (historical releases may still contain incubating), and no empty files/folders
  2. LICENSE + NOTICE exist and the content is normal; DISCLAIMER is required for historical incubating artifacts
  3. does not exist binaries (without LICENSE)
  4. The source code files all contain the standard ASF License header (this could be done with the Maven-MAT plugin)
  5. Check whether the pom.xml version number of each parent/child module is consistent (and meet expectations)
  6. Finally, make sure the source code works/compiles correctly
# prefer to use/switch to `java 11` for the following operations (compiling/running) (Note: `Computer` only supports `java >= 11`)
# java --version

# try to compile in the Unix env to check if it works well (-P is optional)
mvn clean package -DskipTests -Dcheckstyle.skip=true -P stage
B. binary package

After decompressing xxx-hugegraph.tar.gz, perform the following checks:

  1. package/folder naming should match the release line (historical releases may still contain incubating)
  2. LICENSE and NOTICE file exists and the content is normal (DISCLAIMER applies to historical incubating artifacts)
  3. start server
# hugegraph-server
bin/start-hugegraph.sh

# hugegraph-loader
bin/hugegraph-loader.sh -g hugegraph -f example/file/struct.json -s example/file/schema.groovy

# hugegraph-hubble
bin/start-hubble.sh

more reference official website: https://hugegraph.apache.org/docs/quickstart

Note: If a third-party dependency is introduced in the binary package, you need to update the LICENSE and add the third-party dependent LICENSE; if the third-party dependent LICENSE is Apache 2.0, and the corresponding project contains NOTICE, you also need to update Our NOTICE file

5. Check the official website and GitHub and other pages

  1. Make sure that the official website at least meets apache website check, and no circular links, etc.
  2. Update download link and release notes updated
  3. …

Mail Template

After the check & test, you should reply to the mail with the following content: (normal devs & PMC)

[] +1 approve

[] +0 no opinion

[] -1 disapprove with the reason
+1 (non-binding)
I checked:
1. Download link/tag in mail are valid
2. Checksum and GPG signatures are OK
3. LICENSE & NOTICE & DISCLAIMER are exist
4. Build successfully on XX OS & Version XX
5. No unexpected binary files
6. Date is right in the NOTICE file
7. Compile from source is fine under JavaXX
8. No empty file & directory found
9. Test running XXX service OK
10. ....

and the PMC members should reply with binding, it’s important for summary the valid votes:

+1 (binding)
I checked:
1. Download link/tag in mail are valid
2. Checksum and GPG signatures are OK
3. LICENSE & NOTICE & DISCLAIMER are exist
4. Build successfully on XX OS & Version XX
5. No unexpected binary files
6. Date is right in the NOTICE file
7. Compile from source is fine under JavaXX
8. No empty file & directory found
9. Test running XX process OK
10. ....

4 - Setup Server in IDEA (Dev)

NOTE: The following configuration is for reference purposes only, and has been tested on Linux and macOS platforms based on this version.

Background

The Quick Start section provides instructions on how to start and stop HugeGraph-Server using scripts. In this guide, we will explain how to run and debug HugeGraph-Server on the Linux platform using IntelliJ IDEA.

The core steps for local startup are the same as starting with scripts:

  1. Initialize the database backend by executing the InitStore class to initialize the graph.
  2. Start HugeGraph-Server by executing the HugeGraphServer class to load the initialized graph information and start the server.

Before proceeding with the following process, make sure that you have cloned the source code of HugeGraph and have configured the development environment, such as Java 11 & you could config your local environment with this config-doc

git clone https://github.com/apache/hugegraph.git

Steps

1. Copy Configuration Files

To avoid the impact of configuration file changes on Git tracking, it is recommended to copy the required configuration files to a separate folder. Run the following command to copy the files:

cp -r hugegraph-server/hugegraph-dist/src/assembly/static/scripts \
      hugegraph-server/hugegraph-dist/src/assembly/static/conf \
      path-to-your-directory

Replace path-to-your-directory with the path to the directory where you want to copy the files. Run the command from the repository root, the hugegraph-dist module lives under the top-level hugegraph-server directory.

ToplingDB is not part of the master distribution. In a build that includes it, developers need to execute the preload-topling.sh script, which automatically extracts the required dynamic libraries and Web Server static resources into the library directory located alongside the bin directory (the static resources will also be copied to /dev/shm/rocksdb_resource ).

2. Configure InitStore to initialize the graph

First, you need to configure the database backend in the configuration files. In this example, we will use RocksDB. Open path-to-your-directory/conf/graphs/hugegraph.properties and configure it as follows:

backend=rocksdb
serializer=binary
rocksdb.data_path=.
rocksdb.wal_path=.

Next, open the Run/Debug Configurations panel in IntelliJ IDEA and create a new Application configuration. Follow these steps for the configuration:

  • Select hugegraph-dist as the Use classpath of module.
  • Set the Main class to org.apache.hugegraph.cmd.InitStore.
  • Set the program arguments to conf/rest-server.properties. Note that the path here is relative to the working directory, so make sure to set the working directory to path-to-your-directory.
  • (Optional, ToplingDB builds only) ToplingDB requires preloading dynamic libraries via the LD_PRELOAD mechanism. Developers need to set two environment variables: LD_LIBRARY_PATH should point to the library directory extracted by preload-topling.sh, and LD_PRELOAD should be set to libjemalloc.so:librocksdbjni-linux64.so to ensure the necessary libraries are correctly loaded at runtime.
    • LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/path/to/your/library:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
    • LD_PRELOAD=libjemalloc.so:librocksdbjni-linux64.so

If user authentication (authenticator) is configured for HugeGraph-Server in the Java 11 environment, you need to refer to the script configuration in the binary package and add the following VM options:

--add-exports=java.base/jdk.internal.reflect=ALL-UNNAMED

Otherwise, an error will occur:

java.lang.reflect.InaccessibleObjectException: Unable to make public static synchronized void jdk.internal.reflect.Reflection.registerFieldsToFilter(java.lang.Class,java.lang.String[]) accessible: module java.base does not "exports jdk.internal.reflect" to unnamed module @xxx

Once the configuration is completed, run it. If the execution is successful, the following runtime logs will be displayed:

2023-06-05 00:43:37 [main] [INFO] o.a.h.u.ConfigUtil - Scanning option 'graphs' directory './conf/graphs'
2023-06-05 00:43:37 [main] [INFO] o.a.h.c.InitStore - Init graph with config file: ./conf/graphs/hugegraph.properties
......
2023-06-05 00:43:39 [main] [INFO] o.a.h.b.s.r.RocksDBStore - Write down the backend version: 1.11
2023-06-05 00:43:39 [main] [INFO] o.a.h.StandardHugeGraph - Graph 'hugegraph' has been initialized
2023-06-05 00:43:39 [main] [INFO] o.a.h.StandardHugeGraph - Close graph standardhugegraph[hugegraph]
2023-06-05 00:43:39 [db-open-1] [INFO] o.a.h.b.s.r.RocksDBStore - Opening RocksDB with data path: ./m
2023-06-05 00:43:39 [db-open-1] [INFO] o.a.h.b.s.r.RocksDBStore - Opening RocksDB with data path: ./s
2023-06-05 00:43:39 [db-open-1] [INFO] o.a.h.b.s.r.RocksDBStore - Opening RocksDB with data path: ./g
2023-06-05 00:43:39 [main] [INFO] o.a.h.HugeFactory - HugeFactory shutdown
2023-06-05 00:43:39 [hugegraph-shutdown] [INFO] o.a.h.HugeFactory - HugeGraph is shutting down

3. Running HugeGraphServer

Similarly, open the Run/Debug Configurations panel in IntelliJ IDEA and create a new Application configuration. Follow these steps for the configuration:

  • Select hugegraph-dist as the Use classpath of module.
  • Set the Main class to org.apache.hugegraph.dist.HugeGraphServer.
  • Set the program arguments to conf/gremlin-server.yaml conf/rest-server.properties. Similarly, note that the path here is relative to the working directory, so make sure to set the working directory to path-to-your-directory.

bin/hugegraph-server.sh in the binary package does not start this class directly. It starts org.apache.hugegraph.bootstrap.HugeGraphServerBootstrap, which takes a leading true/false security-check flag before the two configuration paths, installs HugeSecurityManager when that flag is true, and then hands over to HugeGraphServer. Running HugeGraphServer from IDEA skips that wrapper, so the security manager is not installed, which is normally what you want while debugging.

Similarly, if user authentication (authenticator) is configured for HugeGraph-Server in the Java 11 environment, you need to refer to the script configuration in the binary package and add the following VM options:

--add-exports=java.base/jdk.internal.reflect=ALL-UNNAMED --add-modules=jdk.unsupported --add-exports=java.base/sun.nio.ch=ALL-UNNAMED

Otherwise, an error will occur:

java.lang.reflect.InaccessibleObjectException: Unable to make public static synchronized void jdk.internal.reflect.Reflection.registerFieldsToFilter(java.lang.Class,java.lang.String[]) accessible: module java.base does not "exports jdk.internal.reflect" to unnamed module @xxx

Once the configuration is completed, run it. If you see the following logs, it means that HugeGraphServer has been successfully started:

......
2023-06-05 00:51:56 [gremlin-server-boss-1] [INFO] o.a.t.g.s.GremlinServer - Gremlin Server configured with worker thread pool of 1, gremlin pool of 8 and boss thread pool of 1.
2023-06-05 00:51:56 [gremlin-server-boss-1] [INFO] o.a.t.g.s.GremlinServer - Channel started at port 8182.

4. Debugging HugeGraphServer (optional)

After completing the above configuration, you can try debugging HugeGraphServer. Run HugeGraphServer in debug mode and set a breakpoint at the following location:

public String list(@Context GraphManager manager,
                   @PathParam("graph") String graph, @QueryParam("label") String label,
                   @QueryParam("properties") String properties, ......) {
    // ignore log
    Map<String, Object> props = parseProperties(properties);

Then use the RESTful API to request HugeGraphServer:

curl "http://localhost:8080/graphspaces/DEFAULT/graphs/hugegraph/graph/vertices" | gunzip

At this point, you can view detailed variable information in the debugger.

5. Log4j2 Configuration

By default, when running InitStore and HugeGraphServer, the Log4j2 configuration file path read is hugegraph-server/hugegraph-dist/src/main/resources/log4j2.xml, not path-to-your-directory/conf/log4j2.xml. This configuration file is read when starting HugeGraph-Server using the script.

To avoid maintaining two separate configuration files, you can modify the Log4j2 configuration file path when running and debugging HugeGraph-Server in IntelliJ IDEA:

  1. Open the previously created Application configuration.
  2. Click on Modify options - Add VM options.
  3. Set the VM options to -Dlog4j.configurationFile=conf/log4j2.xml.

Possible Issues

1. java: package sun.misc does not exist

The reason may be that cross-compilation is triggered when using Java 11 to compile, causing the symbol of sun.misc.Unsafe used in the project to not be found. There are two possible solutions:

  1. In IntelliJ IDEA, go to Preferences/Settings and find the Java Compiler panel. Then, disable the --release option (recommended).
  2. Set the Project SDK to 8 (Deprecated soon).

2. java: *.store.raft.rpc.RaftRequests does not exist (RPC Generated Files)

The reason is that the source code didn’t include the RPC-generated files. You could try 2 ways to fix it:

  1. [CMD]mvn clean compile in the root directory (Recommend)
  2. [UI] right click on the hugegraph repo and select Maven->Generate Sources and Update Folders. This will rebuild the repo and correctly generate the required files.

3. Unable to Print Location Information (%l) in Log4j2

This is because Log4j2 uses asynchronous loggers. You can refer to the official documentation for configuration details.

References

  1. HugeGraph-Server Quick Start: Instructions for setting up HugeGraph-Server.
  2. Local Debugging Guide for HugeGraph Server (Win/Unix)
  3. “package sun.misc does not exist” compilation error
  4. Cannot compile: java: package sun.misc does not exist
  5. The code-style config for HugeGraph in IDEA

5 - Apache HugeGraph Committer Guide

This document outlines the requirements and process for becoming an Apache Committer. The corresponding ASF official document can be found at: https://community.apache.org/newcommitter.html

Candidate Requirements

  1. Candidates must adhere to the Apache Code of Conduct.
  2. PMC members will assess candidates’ interactions with others and contributions through mailing lists, issues, pull requests, and official documentation.
  3. Considerations for evaluating candidates as potential Committers include:
    1. Ability to collaborate with community members
    2. Mentorship capabilities
    3. Community involvement
    4. Level of contribution
    5. Personal skills/abilities

Nomination Process

Discussion → Vote → Invitation → Announcement

Initiate Community Discussion (DISCUSS)

Any PMC member of HugeGraph can initiate a voting discussion. After identifying valuable contributions from a community contributor and obtaining the candidate’s consent, a discussion can be initiated via private@hugegraph.apache.org. The initiator of the discussion should clearly state the candidate’s contributions in the discussion email and provide URLs or other information for confirming the contributions, facilitating discussion and analysis.

Below is a template for HugeGraph emails: (For reference only)

Note: The term xxx will be used to refer to the candidate. Typically, xxx represents an easily readable name (e.g., Simon Jay).

ASF-INFRA recommends avoiding the use of less readable ID directly as a reference to the person in emails (e.g., avoid simon321 or wh0isSim0n 😄).

In addition, it is best to choose the “pure text” mode, otherwise the typesetting may be chaotic in the ASF Mailing-list UI

To: private@hugegraph.apache.org
Subject: [DISCUSS] XXX as a HugeGraph Committer Candidate

Hi all:

I am pleased to nominate xxx for the role of HugeGraph Committer based on his/her contributions over the past few months.

[ Candidate's Contribution Summary ]

Here are the relevant PRs (issues) he/she has participated in:

**Core Features:**
- Feature 1: [ Reference Links ]
- ...

**Fix/Chore/Release:**

**Doc:**

[ Candidate's Current Notable Contributions ]

His/Her contributions bring the following benefits to the community, helping us in the following ways:

[ Candidate's Contributions and Benefits to the Community ]

In view of the above contributions, I elect xxx as Committer of the HugeGraph project.

[ Reference Links ]
1. PR1
2. PR2
3. ...

Welcome everyone to share opinions~

Thanks!

For contribution links in discussion emails, you can use the statistical feature of GitHub Search by entering corresponding keywords as needed. You can also adjust parameters and add new repositories such as repo:apache/hugegraph-computer. Pay special attention to adjusting the time range (below is a template reference, please adjust the parameters accordingly):

For participation in mailing lists, you can use https://lists.apache.org/list?dev@hugegraph.apache.org:lte=10M:xxx.

Initiate Community Voting Email (VOTE)

If there are no dissenting opinions within the specified time frame of the discussion email, the initiator of the discussion needs to initiate a voting email for the committer election at private@hugegraph.apache.org.

Below is the corresponding email template:

To: private@hugegraph.apache.org
Subject: [VOTE] xxx as a HugeGraph Committer

Hi all:

Through the discussion of last week:
[ Discussion Mailing List Link ]

We have discussed and listed what xxx participated in the HugeGraph community.
I believe making him/her a Committer will enhance the work for HugeGraph. 

So, I am happy to call VOTE to accept xxx as a HugeGraph Committer.
 
Voting will continue for at least 72 hours or until the required number of votes is reached.
 
Please vote accordingly:
[ ] +1 approve
[ ] +0 no opinion
[ ] -1 disapprove with the reason  

Thanks!

Then, PMC members reply to the email with +1 or -1 to express their opinions. Generally, at least 3 votes of +1 are needed to conclude the vote.

Announcement of Voting Results (RESULT)

After the voting email concludes, the initiator of the vote needs to remind the end of the voting in the email. Additionally, the initiator needs to announce the voting results via email to private@hugegraph.apache.org. The email template can be as follows:

To: private@hugegraph.apache.org
Subject: [RESULTS][VOTE] xxx as a HugeGraph Committer

Hi all: The vote for "xxx" as a HugeGraph Committer has PASSED and closed now.

The result is as follows: X PMC +1 Votes: 
- A (PMC ID)
- B
- C...

Vote thread:
put vote thread link here
 
Then I'm going to invite xxx to join us soon. Thanks for everyone's support!

Send Invitation Email to Candidate (INVITE)

After the announcement of the voting results email is sent, the initiator of the vote should send an invitation email to the candidate. The invitation email is addressed to the candidate and cc’d to private@hugegraph.apache.org. The invited candidate must reply to the specified email address to accept or reject the invitation.

Below is a template for reference:

To: [ Candidate's Email ]
Cc: private@hugegraph.apache.org
Subject: Invitation to become HugeGraph committer: xxx

Hello xxx,

The HugeGraph Project Management Committee (PMC)
hereby offers you committer privileges to the project.
These privileges are offered on the understanding that you'll use them
reasonably and with common sense. We like to work on trust
rather than unnecessary constraints.

Being a committer enables you to more easily make
changes without needing to go through the patch
submission process.

Being a committer does not require you to
participate any more than you already do. It does
tend to make one even more committed.  You will
probably find that you spend more time here.

Of course, you can decline and instead remain as a
contributor, participating as you do now.

A. This personal invitation is a chance for you to
accept or decline in private.  Either way, please
let us know in reply to the private@hugegraph.apache.org
address only.

B. If you accept, the next step is to register an iCLA:
    1. Details of the iCLA and the forms are found
    through this link: https://www.apache.org/licenses/#clas

    2. Instructions for its completion and return to
    the Secretary of the ASF are found at
    https://www.apache.org/licenses/#submitting

    3. When you transmit the completed iCLA, request
    to notify the Apache HugeGraph project and choose a
    unique Apache ID. Look to see if your preferred
    ID is already taken at
    https://people.apache.org/committer-index.html
    This will allow the Secretary to notify the PMC
    when your iCLA has been recorded.

When recording of your iCLA is noted, you will
receive a follow-up message with the next steps for
establishing you as a committer.

With the expectation of your acceptance, welcome!

The Apache HugeGraph PMC

Candidate Accepts Invitation (ACCEPT)

The candidate should reply to the aforementioned email (select reply all) to indicate acceptance of the invitation. Below is a template for the email:

To: [ Sender's Email ]
Cc: private@hugegraph.apache.org
Subject: Re: Invitation to become HugeGraph committer: xxx

Hello Apache HugeGraph PMC,

I accept the invitation.

Thanks to the Apache HugeGraph Community for recognizing my work, I
will continue to actively participate in the work of the Apache
HugeGraph.

Next, I will follow the instructions to complete the next steps:
Signing and submitting iCLA and registering Apache ID.

xxx

Of course, the candidate may also choose to decline the invitation, in which case there is no template:)

Once the invitation is accepted, the candidate needs to complete the following tasks:

ICLA Signing Process

  1. Download the ICLA
  2. Open the PDF and fill in the required information. All fields must be filled in English. It is recommended to use a PDF tool to edit and sign.
    1. Full name: First name followed by last name
    2. Public name: Optional, defaults to the same as Full name
    3. Check the box only if you entered names with your family name first
    4. Postal Address: English address, starting from small to large, including detailed street address
    5. Country: Country of residence in English
    6. E-mail: Email address, preferably the same as the one used in the invitation email
    7. (optional) preferred Apache id(s): Choose an SVN ID that is not listed on the Apache committer page
    8. (optional) notify project: Apache HugeGraph
    9. Signature: Must be handwritten using a PDF tool
    10. Date: Format as xxxx-xx-xx
  3. After signing, rename icla.pdf to name-pinyin-icla.pdf
  4. Send the following email and attach name-pinyin-icla.pdf as a reference.
To: secretary@apache.org
Subject: ICLA Information

Hello everyone:

I have accepted the Apache HugeGraph PMC invitation to
become a HugeGraph committer, the attachment is my ICLA information.

(Optional) My GitHub account is https://github.com/xxx. Thanks!

xxx

For more details, please refer to https://github.com/apache/hugegraph/issues/1732.

PMC members will await confirmation of the ICLA record from the Apache secretary team. Candidates and PMC members will receive the following email:

Dear xxx,

This message acknowledges receipt of your ICLA, which has been filed in the Apache Software Foundation records.

Your account (with id xxx) has been requested for you and you should receive email with next steps
within the next few days (this process can take up to a week).

Please refer to https://www.apache.org/foundation/how-it-works.html#developers
for more information about roles at Apache.

Setting Up Apache Account and Development Environment (CONFIG)

After the record is completed, the candidate will receive an email from root@apache.org with the subject Welcome to the Apache Software Foundation. At this point, the candidate needs to follow the steps in the email to set up the Apache account and development environment:

  1. Reset the password at https://id.apache.org/reset/enter.
  2. Configure personal information at https://whimsy.apache.org/roster/committer/xxx.
  3. Associate GitHub account at https://gitbox.apache.org/boxer.
    • This step requires configuring GitHub Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
  4. The nominating PMC member must add the new Committer to the official list of committers via the Roster page. (Important, otherwise repository permissions will not take effect).
    • After this step, the candidate becomes a new Committer and gains write access to the GitHub HugeGraph repository.
  5. (Optional) The new Committer can apply for free use of JetBrains’ full range of products with their Apache account here.

Announcing via Email (ANNOUNCE)

After the candidate completes the above steps, they will officially become a Committer of HugeGraph. At this point, they need to send an announcement email to dev@hugegraph.apache.org. Below is a template for the email:

To: dev@hugegraph.apache.org
Subject: [ANNOUNCE] New Committer: xxx

Hi everyone, The PMC for Apache HugeGraph has invited xxx to
become a Committer and we are pleased to announce that he/she has accepted.

xxx is being active in the HugeGraph community & dedicated to ... modules, 
and we are glad to see his/her more interactions with the community in the future.

(Optional) His/Her GitHub account is https://github.com/xxx

Welcome xxx, and please enjoy your community journey~ 

Thanks! 

The Apache HugeGraph PMC

Update Governance Information

Since Apache HugeGraph graduated in January 2026, governance information is maintained in ASF committee/project data rather than Incubator clutch pages.

Please check:

If an update is required but does not appear automatically, coordinate with Apache Community Development or ASF Infra according to the official process.

References

  1. https://community.apache.org/newcommitter.html (ASF official documentation)
  2. https://infra.apache.org/new-committers-guide.html
  3. https://www.apache.org/dev/pmc.html#newcommitter
  4. https://linkis.apache.org/zh-CN/community/how-to-vote-a-committer-pmc
  5. https://www.apache.org/licenses/contributor-agreements.html#submitting
  6. https://www.apache.org/licenses/cla-faq.html#printer
  7. https://linkis.apache.org/zh-CN/community/how-to-sign-apache-icla
  8. https://github.com/apache/hugegraph/issues/1732 (HugeGraph ICLA related issue)