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Vendor neutrality means that Apache projects are not controlled by any single company, sponsor, or contributor. While companies and their employees often make significant contributions, all decisions must be made openly by the project's community.
At the ASF, this principle is rooted in Community over Code: a diverse, balanced community is more valuable than any single technical feature or corporate investment. Vendor neutrality supports the core ASF principles of:
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- Sustainability: Companies may change direction, reduce funding, or exit a market. A community-driven project can continue regardless.
- Trust: Users and contributors are more willing to join a project that is fair and not driven by a single vendor’s priorities.
- Diversity: Broader participation ensures that priorities reflect more than one customer base or product roadmap.
- Legal and brand protection: Independence avoids conflicts where company branding or marketing could blur the line between an Apache project and a corporate product.
- Graduation readiness: The Incubator PMC and ASF Board expect podlings to show independence and balanced governance before graduating.
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- Single-vendor dominance without a plan to diversify.
- Chair and majority from the same employer, leading to governance concerns.
- Private decision-making via internal tools or meetings instead of ASF mailing lists.
- Brand confusion occurs when a company markets a an ASF project's product as its own product.
- Multiple vendors, but one driving all decisions, creating the appearance of dominance even without a numerical majority.
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Signs of Healthy Neutrality
- Contributors from different organizations are taking on visible roles such as release managers or PPMC members.
- Independent individuals actively participating participate in discussions and being recognized for receive recognition based on merit.
- Community-driven roadmaps that include features proposed outside the dominant vendor.
- Mailing list discussions showing genuine debate and consensus-building across affiliations.
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- Roadmaps are aligned with a company’s product release cycle, while community proposals are sidelined.
- All major decisions are drafted in the company's Slack channels and then “announced” on the mailing list.
- Marketing materials present the Apache project's product as if it were a vendor’s product.
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Mentors' Role
Mentors play a critical part in guiding podlings toward neutrality. They should:
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- Welcome contributors from multiple organizations and individuals.
- Hold all decisions and discussions on ASF mailing lists.
- Be open about employer affiliations when nominating committers or voting.
- Rotate leadership and responsibilities Rotate responsibilities to prevent concentration of influence.
- Use Apache project names consistently; avoid linking the project's product identity to a vendor.
- Mentor and support contributors outside the dominant vendor to take on committer and PPMC roles.
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Neutrality also helps projects transcend regional or local dominance: relying too heavily participants on one country, region, or cultural context can make a project appear insular. Encouraging global participation strengthens diversity, reduces risks tied to local market shifts, and ensures that the project reflects the needs of a broader user base.
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The ASF has clear brand and trademark policies: an Apache project product must never be presented as a company’s product. Vendor neutrality reinforces this rule by ensuring that Apache identity stays distinct, protecting both the ASF and contributors from legal or reputational risks.
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- Does the PPMC show diversity across employers?
- Are decisions visibly made on mailing lists?
- Is Are the project and its product's identity distinct from any company’s product?
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The following issues often delay or block graduation:
- A single employer dominates PPMC membership is dominated by a single employer after a year or more in incubation.
- No independent committers or contributors stepping into leadership roles.
- Roadmaps or release cycles tied to a corporate product schedule.
- Branding confusion where the project's product is presented as part of a vendor’s product line.
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- Delayed graduation: the IPMC may require extended incubation until diversity improves.
- Board pushback: the ASF Board may reject graduation resolutions that show single-vendor control.
- Retirement: In rare cases, projects that remain vendor-dominated and do not attract a community may be retired from the Incubator rather than graduating.
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Key Takeaway
Vendor neutrality does not mean excluding companies. It means ensuring that no one company dominates. A podling may start with strong involvement from a single vendor, but over time, it must demonstrate openness and diversity. The strength of an Apache project stems from its independence, diversity, and community-led nature, enabling it to thrive long after any single vendor’s involvement.
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