---
title: "Become A Committer"
---
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# Become a Committer

An Apache Beam
[committer](https://www.apache.org/foundation/how-it-works.html#committers) has
write access to the repository for merging pull requests, but you don't have
to be a code contributor to become a committer. Becoming a committer means that
you have the project's trust. Read the [ASF
documentation](https://www.apache.org/dev/committers.html#committer-responsibilities)
for more about being a committer in the Apache Software Foundation.

The [PMC](https://www.apache.org/foundation/how-it-works.html#pmc-members)
makes someone a committer via nomination, discussion, and then majority vote.
We use data from as many sources as possible to inform our reasoning. Here are
some examples:

 - [dev@ archives](https://lists.apache.org/list.html?dev@beam.apache.org) and [statistics](https://lists.apache.org/trends.html?dev@beam.apache.org)
 - [user@ archives](https://lists.apache.org/list.html?user@beam.apache.org) and [statistics](https://lists.apache.org/trends.html?user@beam.apache.org)
 - [`apache-beam` StackOverflow tag](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/apache-beam)
 - Git metrics for [Beam](https://github.com/apache/beam/graphs/contributors)
 - Code reviews given and received on
   [Beam](https://github.com/apache/beam/pulls)
 - Clear areas of ownership (a runner, a DSL, IO connector, documentation,
   etc.)
 - Public events
 - Firsthand PMC testimonials

The PMC has assembled the following set of guidelines for becoming a committer.

## An Apache Beam committer...

### Takes many forms

There are many actions other than coding that build the trust we place in a
committer - code review, design discussion, user support, community outreach, improving
infrastructure, documentation, project management, etc.

### Knows, upholds, and reinforces the Apache Software Foundation code of conduct

See the [ASF
documentation](https://www.apache.org/foundation/policies/conduct.html). In
particular, they manifestly strive to:

 - Be open
 - Be empathetic
 - Be welcoming
 - Be friendly
 - Be patient
 - Be collaborative
 - Be inquisitive
 - Be careful in the words that they choose

### Knows, upholds, and reinforces the responsibilities of an Apache Software Foundation committer

See the [ASF documentation](https://www.apache.org/dev/committers.html#committer-responsibilities).

 - They help create a product that will outlive the interest of any particular
   volunteer (including themselves)
 - They grow and maintain the health of the Apache community
 - They help out with surrounding work, such as the website & documentation
 - They help users
 - They can be trusted to decide when code is ready for release, or when to ask
   someone else to make the judgment
 - They can be trusted to decide when to merge code (if a code contributor) or
   when to ask someone else to make the judgment

### Knows, upholds, and reinforces the Beam community’s practices

 - They have a proven commitment to the project
 - They share their intentions with the community
 - They accept and integrate community feedback in their plans, designs,
   code, etc.
 - They earnestly try to make Beam better with their contributions
 - In particular, if a code contributor:
   - They earnestly try to make Beam better with their own code
   - They earnestly try to make Beam better with code review
   - They accept and integrate feedback on their code
   - They know, follow, and enforce Beam’s practices while
     reviewing/merging code - style, documentation, testing, backward
     compatibility, etc.

