The Apache Software Foundation

The Apache Software Foundation
Founders
Type501(c)(3) organization
FocusOpen-source software
Location
MethodApache License
Revenue (2020)
Decrease $2.10 million[1]
Websiteapache.org

The Apache Software Foundation (/əˈpæi/ ə-PATCH-ee; ASF) is an American nonprofit corporation (classified as a 501(c)(3) organization in the United States) to support a number of open-source software projects. The ASF was formed from a group of developers of the Apache HTTP Server, and incorporated on March 25, 1999.[2][3] As of 2021, it includes approximately 1000 members.[4]

The Apache Software Foundation is a decentralized open source community of developers. The software they produce is distributed under the terms of the Apache License, a permissive open-source license for free and open-source software (FOSS). The Apache projects are characterized by a collaborative, consensus-based development process and an open and pragmatic software license, which is to say that it allows developers, who receive the software freely, to redistribute it under non-free terms.[5] Each project is managed by a self-selected team of technical experts who are active contributors to the project. The ASF is a meritocracy, implying that membership of the foundation is granted only to volunteers who have actively contributed to Apache projects. The ASF is considered a second-generation open-source organization,[citation needed] in that commercial support is provided without the risk of platform lock-in.

Among the ASF's objectives are: to provide legal protection to volunteers working on Apache projects, and to prevent the "Apache" brand name from being used by other organizations without permission.[6]

The ASF also holds several ApacheCon conferences each year, highlighting Apache projects and related technology.[7]

  1. ^ "Apache Software Foundation, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer". Nonprofit Explorer. ProPublica. March 11, 2022. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  2. ^ Fielding, Roy T. "Certificate of Incorporation of the Apache Software Foundation". Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  3. ^ Jagielski, Jim. "The Apache Software Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 01 June 1999". Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  4. ^ "ASF Committers by auth group". home.apache.org. 2021-07-02. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Smith, Brett (10 June 2011). "Statement on OpenOffice.org's move to Apache". Free Software Foundation. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". apache.org. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  7. ^ "apachecon.com". apachecon.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2014.