Apache Tomcat

If you would like to become involved in the development and support of Apache Tomcat there are many different ways in which you can contribute. The first step is to join the mailing lists. The following are just a few areas ways in which you can help:

• Answer questions posted to the mailing lists.
• Contribute to the FAQ or Wiki.
• Contribute other documentation patches, either for the website or for the Apache Tomcat user documentation.
• Investigate bugs that have been reported and provide patches where appropriate.
• Help with development for the next release of the Servlet and JSP specifications.

You should also read How Apache Works .

If you want to start contributing changes, then the first step is to checkout the source code and build Apache Tomcat. See the Building page in the documentation area for the version of Apache Tomcat you want to work with for detailed instructions.

When making a contribution, minimize unnecessary or unrelated changes (such as formatting). Apache Tomcat has many contributors, and being able to diff changes throughout the source history is important. Making small gradual changes and respecting the conventions of the existing source code will make it much more likely that your patch will be accepted.

Once you've got Apache Tomcat up and running, then the Apache Contributors Tech Guide is a good place to learn how to create and submit patches.

Apache Tomcat has very loosely defined coding conventions, but the following guidelines will be useful:

• Use spaces for indenting, not tabs
• 80 char line width
• Java source: { at end of line, 4 space indents
• XML source: 2 space indents