How to Begin Contributing to an Apache Top‑Level Open Source Project

Start from the README

Apache Doris README located at https://github.com/apache/doris/blob/master/README.md provides project background, architecture, features, installation, deployment, contact information and contribution guidelines.

Community communication

Apache communities use mailing lists as the primary asynchronous channel. Subscribe at https://doris.apache.org/zh-CN/community/subscribe-mail-lis. Instant‑messaging groups (WeChat, QQ, DingTalk) host more than 20 groups with over 8,000 members. Slack (https://join.slack.com/t/apachedoriscommunity/…) and GitHub Discussions (https://github.com/apache/doris/discussions) are also encouraged for faster, less fragmented communication.

Official site and documentation

The July 2022 site redesign added full‑text search and version switching, enabling quick location of documentation.

First contribution

Typical entry points include fixing documentation typos (https://doris.apache.org/zh-CN/community/how-to-contribute/contribute-doc), reporting bugs, or implementing missing features. Issues labeled “good first issue” are intended for newcomers; an example is https://github.com/apache/doris/issues/11706.

Fork the repository

git clone https://github.com/<your_github_name>/doris.git
cd doris
git remote add upstream https://github.com/apache/doris.git
git remote -v
git checkout -b <your_branch_name>

Create a Pull Request

git commit -a -m "<your_commit_message>"
git push origin <your_branch_name>

Open the fork on GitHub, switch to the new branch, click “Compare & pull request”, fill a detailed description, and follow the commit‑message format at https://doris.apache.org/zh-CN/community/how-to-contribute/commit-format-specification/.

Review and merge

GitHub automatically runs checks; the PR can be merged only after they pass. Code review follows the Apache Doris review guide at https://doris.apache.org/zh-CN/community/how-to-contribute/contributor-guide#code-review. At least one non‑author Committer must give a “+1” before the change is merged into master, typically within a working day.

Contributor growth

After a PR is merged, the author becomes an Apache Doris Contributor. Continued contributions can lead to Committer status (code‑merge permission) and eventually to PMC membership, granting voting rights on project decisions.

Process overview

Identify a problem or improvement.

Fork the repository.

Develop locally and self‑test.

Create a Pull Request.

Await code review.

Merge into master after approval.