This page is OBSOLETE. Please see the HBase book http://hbase.apache.org/book.html#developer

How to Contribute to HBase

This page describes the mechanics of how to contribute software to HBase. For ideas about what you might contribute, please see the open issues in the Hbase JIRA.

Getting the source code

First of all, you need the HBase source code.

Get the source code on your local drive using SVN. Most development is done on the "trunk":

svn co http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/hbase/trunk hbase-core-trunk 

If you prefer to use Eclipse for development, there are instructions for setting up SVN access from within Eclipse at Working with HBase under Eclipse.

Alternatively, if you prefer to use git there is a git repository available that mirrors the svn repository. You can retrieve the latest information via git with the following:

git clone git://git.apache.org/hbase.git

Making Changes

Before you start, send a message to the <dev AT SPAMFREE hbase DOT apache DOT org> HBase developer mailing list, or file a bug report in Hbase JIRA. Describe your proposed changes and check that they fit in with what others are doing and have planned for the project. Be patient, it may take folks a while to understand your requirements.

Modify the source code and add some (very) nice features using your favorite IDE.

But take care about the following points

• All public classes and methods should have informative Javadoc comments

  • Do not use @author tags
  • Please include the Apache License
  • Make sure the tests work before your change, and afterwards. If they were working and then stopped, your change broke something and won't get accepted.
  • Extra tests are always welcome.