ASF Policies

The Apache Software Foundation maintains policies across several areas to ensure consistent governance, legal compliance, and community standards across all Apache projects. This page serves as a central index of all ASF policies.

For a summary of which policies are required (MUST), recommended (SHOULD), or optional (MAY) for Apache projects, see the Board Policy Overview.

Links marked with 🔒 require ASF Member or Committer login.

Code of Conduct & Community Behavior¶

• Code of Conduct — Applies to all ASF-managed spaces (mailing lists, issue trackers, wikis, chat, etc.)
• Anti-Harassment Policy — Specific to in-person events and conferences
• Infrastructure Team Code of Conduct — Infra-specific conduct expectations (references the general CoC)

Legal & Licensing¶

• Release Policy — Requirements for official Apache software releases
• Source Header and Copyright Notice Policy — How committers and PMCs should handle source file licensing and copyright notices
• 3rd Party License Policy — Which third-party licenses are acceptable for inclusion in Apache releases
• Generative Tooling Guidance — Policy on AI/ML-generated contributions to ASF projects
• Applying the Apache License — How to correctly apply the Apache License to your project
• DMCA Designated Agent — Digital Millennium Copyright Act designated agent for the ASF
• Export Control / Encryption Policy — U.S. export regulations applicable to Apache software distributions
• Handling Cryptography within an ASF Release — Cryptography export notification requirements
• Release Download Pages Policy — Requirements for project release download pages
• Docker Hub Policy — Policy for Apache projects publishing to Docker Hub
• CLA FAQ — Frequently asked questions about Contributor License Agreements

Trademark & Branding¶

• Apache Trademark Policy — Overarching policy for use of ASF trademarks by third parties
• Project Branding Requirements — What PMCs must do to comply with ASF branding
• Third Party Event Branding Policy — How external organisations can use Apache marks for events
• Domain Name Policy — Rules on domain names containing Apache project names
• Downstream Distribution Policy — Trademark rules for downstream redistributors
• Social Media Best Practices — Guidance for projects managing branded social media accounts
• Logo Usage Policy — Rules for use of Apache logos
• Naming Policy — How Apache project names are chosen and protected
• Linking Policy — When and how PMCs may link to third-party technical or corporate sites
• Trademark Reporting — How to report potential trademark misuse
• Merchandise Policy — Rules for merchandise using Apache brands
• Trademark Maintenance Responsibilities — PMC responsibilities for maintaining Apache trademarks
• Apache Product Name Usage Guide — How to correctly refer to Apache brands in text
• Apache Trademark FAQs — Permitted and prohibited uses of Apache marks
• Registered Trademarks List — Authoritative list of ASF word marks and registered trademarks
• Incubator Podling Branding Guide — Branding requirements for podlings

Privacy¶

• ASF Privacy Policy — Foundation-wide privacy policy (external site)
• ASF Website Privacy Policy — Website-specific privacy and analytics policy (external site)
• Public Forum Archive Policy — When and how public mailing list archives may be modified
• Privacy Policy for Contributors — Privacy policy specific to ASF contributors
• Privacy Policy for Committers — Privacy policy specific to ASF committers
• Mailing List Privacy Policy — Privacy policy for ASF public mailing lists

Security¶

• Security Policy — How the ASF Security Team handles vulnerability reports
• Security Policy for Committers — How project committers should handle security vulnerabilities

Governance & Project Requirements¶

• Board Policy Overview — The comprehensive list of all MUST/SHOULD/MAY requirements for Apache projects
• Apache Project Minimum Requirements — Simplified checklist of project obligations
• PMC Guide — Required Policies — PMC-specific policy section of the PMC guide
• 🔒 Corporate Policy Clarifications — Board-level discussion of policy questions (ASF Members wiki)
• 🔒 Conflict of Interest Policy — COI policy development (ASF Members wiki)
• Apache Voting Process — How consensus decisions and release votes work
• Board Escalation Guide — How to escalate concerns or problems at the ASF
• Project Independence — Guidelines for operating independently and for the public good
• ASF Bylaws — Foundation bylaws covering membership, directors, officers, PMCs
• Incubator Podling Policies — Policies governing Apache Incubator podlings

Sponsorship & Fundraising¶

• Sponsorship Policy — Levels, requirements, and policies for ASF sponsors
• Targeted Sponsorship Policy — Policy for sponsors supporting specific parts of the Foundation

Infrastructure¶

• Project Source Repository Policy — Requirements for project source control (external: infra.apache.org)
• Project Website Policy — Requirements for project websites (external: infra.apache.org)
• Release Distribution Policy — How releases must be distributed (external: infra.apache.org)
• MFA Reset Policy — Procedure and policy for resetting multi-factor authentication (cwiki)
• ASF Mail Rejection Policy — When and why ASF mail infrastructure rejects messages (external: infra.apache.org)
• GitHub Actions Policy — Policy for Apache projects using GitHub Actions
• Slack Policy — Policy for using ASF Slack workspaces
• Content Moderation — Infrastructure content moderation policy
• Site-Wide Ban Policy — Infrastructure policy for site-wide bans

Conferences & Events¶

• Conference Policy — Policies around official Apache events
• Third Party Event Branding Policy — Branding rules for non-ASF events using Apache marks
• Giveaway Rules — Official rules for ASF promotional giveaways
• Travel Assistance Policy — Financial assistance for attending Community Over Code events (external: tac.apache.org)
• 🔒 Travel Policy — Rules for ASF-funded travel: approval, booking, reimbursement (ASF Members wiki)

Other Policies & Guidelines¶

• Press & Publicity Guidelines — Media relations and publicity policy
• Officer Speaking Guide — Policy for ASF officers speaking publicly
• Mailing List Policy — Naming and usage policies for project mailing lists
• Contributor License Agreements — CLA requirements for committers
• CLA FAQ — Frequently asked questions about contribution agreements
• Publicity Guidelines for Top-Level Projects — PR, social media, and analyst relations guidelines (cwiki)
• Project Social Media Access & Redundancy Policy — Ensuring continuity of project social media accounts (cwiki)