From 40fb2ae81cfd946aaad2932c637a13d22389ea4c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Goutham Pacha Ravi Date: Tue, 20 May 2025 13:40:47 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] [resolution] Replace CLA with DCO for all contributions Agree with the foundation's move to require a DCO from OpenStack's contributors in lieu of the CLA as part of their move under the Linux Foundation. [1] Signed-off-by: Goutham Pacha Ravi [1] https://lists.openinfra.org/archives/list/foundation@lists.openinfra.org/thread/PXMTX67TRL2B4ONICTT2E2XZLG4J4LAL/ Change-Id: I471d908f1f331ef0e91050a51f9afdf928cc3ef5 --- ...the-cla-with-dco-for-all-contributions.rst | 61 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 61 insertions(+) create mode 100644 resolutions/20250520-replace-the-cla-with-dco-for-all-contributions.rst diff --git a/resolutions/20250520-replace-the-cla-with-dco-for-all-contributions.rst b/resolutions/20250520-replace-the-cla-with-dco-for-all-contributions.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..711c7d381 --- /dev/null +++ b/resolutions/20250520-replace-the-cla-with-dco-for-all-contributions.rst @@ -0,0 +1,61 @@ +===================================================== +2025-05-20 Replace CLA with DCO for all contributions +===================================================== + +The OpenStack community has required contributors to sign a +Contributor License Agreement (CLA) before submitting code +contributions. This process has addressed legal and organizational +needs but has long been seen as being cumbersome to the contribution process +and imposes administrative overhead. + +The OpenStack Technical Committee (TC) `requested +in 2014`_ that the Foundation Board of Directors implement +the `Developer Certificate of Origin`_ (DCO) as the Contributor +License Agreement (CLA) for the OpenStack project. The DCO is a +simpler, developer-affirmed certification that contributors +have the right to submit the code they are contributing. +We are pleased that the Foundation board has now found +this `transition feasible`_. + +The OpenStack Technical Committee approves the transition from a +CLA-based contribution model to a Developer Certificate of Origin +(DCO) model. The move aligns us with governance practices in other large open +source projects, like the Linux Kernel, and will streamline our contributor +experience. + +The OpenStack Technical Committee therefore resolves to: + +- Replace the Contributor License Agreement (CLA) with the Developer + Certificate of Origin (DCO) as the core legal framework for contributions to + OpenStack projects. +- Set the transition effective date to **July 1, 2025**. From that + date, all commits to OpenStack repositories must include a valid + `Signed-off-by` line in the commit message as stated in the DCO. +- Direct the OpenDev Infrastructure team to enforce DCO compliance on the + OpenStack `code review system`_, i.e., require a valid DCO sign-off for + all new commits. +- Ensure that the OpenStack Contributor Documentation features the Developer + Certificate of Origin and includes clear and practical guidance for + contributors on how to sign their commits and what the sign-off represents. +- Encourage OpenStack project maintainers to update their own contributor + documentation to point to the OpenStack Contributor Documentation regarding + the DCO. We don't need to reproduce the DCO within project documentation + or the source code. All existing documents referring to the prior CLA have to + be modified to remove that information. +- Clarify that existing contributors **will not** be required to retroactively + sign or re-submit anything. However, all new commits made on or after + July 1, 2025 must adhere to the DCO requirements. Changes already uploaded to + the code review system need not be modified just to include the + `Signed-off-by` line in the commit message. However, when changes need to be + modified for other reasons, the commit message must be amended to include the + `Signed-off-by` line. + +This adoption of the DCO will lower the barrier to contribution, reduce +administrative burden, and bring OpenStack in line with best practices across +the open-source world. It's a key step towards a more accessible and welcoming +OpenStack. + +.. _requested in 2014: ../resolutions/20140909-cla.html +.. _Developer Certificate of Origin: https://developercertificate.org/ +.. _transition feasible: https://lists.openinfra.org/archives/list/foundation@lists.openinfra.org/thread/PXMTX67TRL2B4ONICTT2E2XZLG4J4LAL/ +.. _code review system: https://review.opendev.org