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FINOS Community Documentation

website·Indexed 37 days ago

https://community.finos.org

Guidelines and resources for the FINOS community, covering project governance, lifecycle stages (Labs, Incubating, Graduated, Archived), and contribution processes. Includes development infrastructure guidance for Docker, Node.js, and C#, as well as information on the Project Sandbox, Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO), and Special Interest Groups (SIGs).

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What's inside FINOS

  2. Overview of the FINOS Project Sandbox

    The FINOS Project Sandbox provides FINOS open source projects with a public runtime environment. This infrastructure is designed to facilitate easy evaluation of projects, enable public collaboration, and deliver real-life demo environments. The FINOS technology team manages the infrastructure and operational support, allowing project maintainers to focus on software development rather than operational overhead.

  3. Overview of SonarCloud for code validation

    SonarCloud is a free service for open-source projects provided by SonarSource. It integrates with CI environments to provide the following capabilities: measuring test coverage, scanning for security vulnerabilities, detecting bugs, and identifying bad practices such as duplicated logic, technical debt, and code smells. It supports Java, JavaScript, and C#.

  4. Overview of WhiteSource (Mend) for FINOS Projects

    WhiteSource (now Mend) is used by the FINOS Foundation to automatically identify open-source components and dependencies in project builds. It cross-references components against a database to enforce security, legal, and quality compliance. Key capabilities include checking for outdated libraries, security vulnerabilities (CVEs), bugs, and problematic licenses.

  5. Understand FINOS project roles and responsibilities

    FINOS projects distinguish between three primary roles:

    • Contributor: Anyone who submits code, pull requests, issues, comments, documentation, or media.
    • Maintainer: A contributor with write access to project repositories who can approve and merge contributions.
    • Lead Maintainer: One or two maintainers elected to act as the primary interface between the project and the FINOS Team, Governing Board, and Community. They are accountable for project direction, prioritization, and the quality of deliverables.

  6. Understand the FINOS Labs project stage

    The Labs stage is an experimental and exploratory phase for new projects contributed to FINOS, providing a low-friction environment for rapid experimentation and project-market-fit evolution. Projects in this stage are hosted in the dedicated finos-labs GitHub organization, separate from the main finos organization.

  7. Simplify FINOS project governance by removing Programs and PMCs

    FINOS is transitioning from a hierarchical governance structure (Programs and Program Management Committees/PMCs) to a flat structure where projects exist at the top level. This change aims to reduce bureaucracy, lower the barrier to entry for new contributors, and eliminate the overhead of quarterly program-level reporting. Projects can still be categorized by theme or technology using GitHub tagging and other web properties.

  8. Understand FINOS membership and contribution requirements

    FINOS is a membership organization within the Linux Foundation with four corporate membership tiers: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Associate.

    Key rules regarding participation:

    • Contributing: Membership is NOT required to contribute to existing FINOS projects. Contributors must comply with code contribution compliance requirements (for software) or Standard Governance IP requirements (for standards).
    • Proposing Projects: Only FINOS members can propose new FINOS projects.
    • Individual Supporters: Individuals who have made significant contributions can join the Individual Supporter program for recognition and members-only benefits.

  9. Understand the FINOS Forming stage lifecycle

    The Forming stage allows FINOS Platinum Members to work privately with other prospective contributor members to gauge viability and evaluate interest before a project is formally contributed to the Labs or Incubating stages.

    Key details include:

    • Objective: Build an initial community to ensure sustainability once the project is open sourced.
    • Requirement: A request from a FINOS Platinum Member.
    • Timeline: Projects successfully completing this stage are expected to become fully open source within one year.
    • Visibility: Forming projects are not yet publicly visible; FINOS Members can request access by emailing help@finos.org.
    • Exit Paths: A project leaves the Forming stage by either contributing to FINOS (as Labs or Incubating) or by abandoning the formation effort.

  10. Track FINOS Project and SIG success using data-driven reporting

    FINOS provides data-driven reporting to help project leads and SIGs make informed decisions by tracking engagement trends and project health. Key capabilities include:

    • Analyzing technical trends, team performance, ecosystem, and community statistics.
    • Drilling down into performance metrics across the open source development lifecycle.
    • Identifying best practices within teams based on project health data.

  11. Access FINOS learning resources

    FINOS provides several self-serve resources for developers and subject matter experts to learn more about the ecosystem:

    • Knowledge Base: Technical and community documentation at finos.org/knowledge-base.
    • Multimedia: The FINOS Podcast and the official YouTube channel.
    • General Info: The official FAQ page and email updates sign-up.
    • Social Media: Updates are available on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn.

  12. Understand FINOS governance structure

    FINOS is governed by three primary bodies:

    1. Governing Board: Oversees the Foundation, composed of Platinum Representatives, elected Gold Representatives, and an elected Silver Representative. It uses ranked-choice voting for elections.
    2. Technical Oversight Committee (TOC): The technical governing body providing oversight for the project portfolio. It consists of 12 members serving two-year terms.
    3. FINOS Team: Handles day-to-day operations.