The Node-RED project has been developed in the open since 2013. The core of the
project has been developed by IBM who created the original project. A large
community of users has built around the project with most contributions being
made via nodes that are self-published to the community. Contributions to the
core have occurred at a much more modest level.
Our goal is to grow the active contributor community around the project. We plan
to do this by:
- Encouraging new contributions
- Encouraging contributors to remain involved
- Having a transparent decision making process which makes it clear how
contributors can be involved in decision making
- Avoiding unnecessary processes and bureaucracy whenever possible
This document describes the governance and contribution model for the Node-RED
project. It is heavily influenced by a number of other Open Source projects,
particularly Node.js.
It reflects how we have managed the project up to now and reflects the current
scale of contributor community.
Roles and responsibilities
Users
Users are community members who have a need for the project. They are for whom
we develop the project. There is no such thing as a typical user and no assumptions
should be made about who they are or what they want.
The project benefits when the users to provide feedback, generate awareness and
help spread interest.
Users who choose to provide feedback or get more involved with the project
instantly cross the line to become a Contributor.
Contributors
Contributors are a subset of the community who take a more active role in the
development of the project. This can cover many different aspects and is not
limited to code contributions. A user who raises an issue, comments on a proposal
or answers a question on the mailing list is, by definition, a contributor.
As contributors gain experience and familiarity with the project, their profile
within, and commitment to, the community will increase. For a Contributor with a
proven track record of changes to the project repositories (code, documentation,
etc), they may find themselves invited to become a Committer.
Committers
Committers are a subset of contributors who have demonstrated a commitment to
the project and ability to provide valued contributions - of any variety. They
are trusted with the responsibility of write access to the project’s repositories
and have the ability to review and merge pull requests from the community.
Anyone is able to become a Committer; it is a role earned through merit and a
demonstrable engagement with the project and wider community. This includes:
- Show a willingness and ability to participate in the project as a team player.
Typically, a potential Committer will need to show that they have an
understanding of and alignment with the project, its objects, and its strategy.
- Be respectful of every community member and to work collaboratively in the
spirit of inclusion.
- Have a track record of good quality contributions.
Typically a Contributor would be invited to become a Committer through the
agreement of the existing Committer community.
Being a Committer is considered a privilege, not a right. Under normal circumstances,
Committer status exists for as long as the Committer wishes to continue engaging
with the project. In exceptional circumstances, the Committer community may
conclude Committer status should be removed from an individual who is not
maintaining their responsibilities to the project.
Technical Committee
Given the current small size of Committer community, they also represent the
core decision making group. Through a consensus-seeking mode of discussion,
decisions can be made and shared with the wider community. It is this group that
sets the direction of the project through helping to prioritise the backlog.
They also have the ability, through community-consensus, to update this governance
model.
If the goals of the project are successfully met, the committer community will
grow to a point where a more formalised Technical Committee will be needed. The
exact nature of the TC will be determined at that time.
Code of Conduct
The project believes strongly that a clear code of conduct helps to ensure the
community remains open and welcoming to everyone. It has adopted a Code of Conduct
based on the Contributor Covenant 1.4. The details are available here.
It is the responsibility of all Contributors to uphold the Code of Conduct
throughout the project. This covers how we interact with one another and how we
represent the project both in private and public spaces.
Any issues can be safely reported, in confidence, to the TC at team@nodered.org,
or directly to any member of the TC.
References
This governance model has been inspired by many existing open source projects:
