This page aims to provide/suggest alternatives to currently used nomenclature in documentation and code at the ASF.
It is very much a non-exhaustive list at present, people are encouraged to make additions to the page, either directly or via diversity@apache.org


Is a term potentially problematic?

See https://inclusivenaming.org/language/evaluation-framework/ for a good starting point when evaluating terms for inclusivity.


General list of problematic terms and their alternatives

Blacklist / whitelist

  • block-list / allow-list
  • accept / reject
  • include-list / exclude-list
  • allow-list / deny-list
  • acceptable / unacceptable

Master / slave

  • For databases or other services where data is merely replicated/mirrored by a secondary host/service:
    • Instead of master:
      • primary
      • origin
      • canonical
    • Instead of slave:
      • replica
      • mirror
      • backup
      • failover
  • In situations where one service orchestrates what other machines/services then carry out:
    • instead of master:
      • host
      • orchestrator
      • director
      • central
      • manager
    • instead of slave:
      • agent
      • actor
      • node
      • worker
      • minion
  • Add your own scenarios here...

Gendered pronouns

  • Try using epicene (gender-neutral) pronouns such as 'they', 'them', 'one'.
  • OR mix it up, use both he and she in the documentation at random(?)


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