= Contributing to Spring Security

First off, thank you for taking the time to contribute! :+1: :tada:

== Table of Contents

* <<code-of-conduct>>
* <<how-to-contribute>>
* <<ask-questions>>
* <<find-an-issue>>
* <<create-an-issue>>
* <<issue-lifecycle>>
* <<submit-a-pull-request>>
* <<build-from-source>>
* <<code-style>>

[[code-of-conduct]]
== Code of Conduct

This project is governed by the https://github.com/spring-projects/.github/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md[Spring code of conduct].
By participating you are expected to uphold this code.
Please report unacceptable behavior to spring-code-of-conduct@pivotal.io.

[[how-to-contribute]]
== How to Contribute

[[ask-questions]]
=== Ask Questions

If you have a question, check Stack Overflow using
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/spring-security+or+spring-ldap+or+spring-authorization-server+or+spring-session?tab=Newest[this list of tags].
Find an existing discussion, or start a new one if necessary.

If you believe there is an issue, search through https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/issues[existing issues] trying a  few different ways to find discussions, past or current, that are related to the issue.
Reading those discussions helps you to learn about the issue, and helps us to make a decision.

[[find-an-issue]]
=== Find an Existing Issue

There are many issues in Spring Security with the labels https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3A%22status%3A+ideal-for-contribution%22[`ideal-for-contribution`] or https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3A%22status%3A+first-timers-only%22[`first-timers-only`] that are a great way to contribute to a discussion or <<submit-a-pull-request,to a PR>>.
You can volunteer by commenting on these tickets, and we will assign them to you.

[[create-an-issue]]
=== Create an Issue

Reporting an issue or making a feature request is a great way to contribute.
Your feedback and the conversations that result from it provide a continuous flow of ideas.
However, before creating a ticket, please take the time to <<ask-questions,ask and research>> first.

If you create an issue after a discussion on Stack Overflow, please provide a description in the issue instead of simply referring to Stack Overflow.
The issue tracker is an important place of record for design discussions and should be self-sufficient.

Once you're ready, create an issue on https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/issues[GitHub].

Many issues are caused by subtle behavior, typos, and unintended configuration.
Creating a https://stackoverflow.com/help/minimal-reproducible-example[Minimal Reproducible Example] (starting with https://start.spring.io for example) of the problem helps the team quickly triage your issue and get to the core of the problem.

We love contributors, and we may ask you to <<submit-a-pull-request,submit a PR with a fix>>.

[[issue-lifecycle]]
=== Issue Lifecycle

When an issue is first created, it is flagged `waiting-for-triage` waiting for a team member to triage it.
Once the issue has been reviewed, the team may ask for further information if needed, and based on the findings, the issue is either assigned a target branch (or no branch if a feature) or is closed with a specific status.
The target branch is https://spring.io/projects/spring-security#support[the earliest supported branch] where <<choose-a-branch,the change will be applied>>.

When a fix is ready, the issue is closed and may still be re-opened until the fix is released.
After that the issue will typically no longer be reopened.
In rare cases if the issue was not at all fixed, the issue may be re-opened.
In most cases however any follow-up reports will need to be created as new issues with a fresh description.

[[build-from-source]]
=== Build from Source

See https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/tree/main#building-from-source[Build from Source] for instructions on how to check out, build, and import the Spring Security source code into your IDE.

[[code-style]]
=== Source Code Style

The wiki pages https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/wiki/Code-Style[Code Style] and https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/wiki/IntelliJ-IDEA-Editor-Settings[IntelliJ IDEA Editor Settings] define the source file coding standards we use along with some IDEA editor settings we customize.

To format the code as well as check the style, run `./gradlew format check`.

[[submit-a-pull-request]]
=== Submit a Pull Request

We are excited for your pull request! :heart:

Please do your best to follow these steps.
Don't worry if you don't get them all correct the first time, we will help you.

[[sign-cla]]
1. All commits must include a __Signed-off-by__ trailer at the end of each commit message to indicate that the contributor agrees to the Developer Certificate of Origin.
For additional details, please refer to the blog post https://spring.io/blog/2025/01/06/hello-dco-goodbye-cla-simplifying-contributions-to-spring[Hello DCO, Goodbye CLA: Simplifying Contributions to Spring].
[[create-an-issue]]
1. Must you https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-security/issues/new/choose[create an issue] first? No, but it is recommended for features and larger bug fixes. It's easier discuss with the team first to determine the right fix or enhancement.
For typos and straightforward bug fixes, starting with a pull request is encouraged.
Please include a description for context and motivation.
Note that the team may close your pull request if it's not a fit for the project.
[[choose-a-branch]]
1. Always check out the branch indicated in the milestone and submit pull requests against it (for example, for milestone `5.8.3` use the `5.8.x` branch).
If there is no milestone, choose `main`.
Once merged, the fix will be forwarded-ported to applicable branches including `main`.
[[create-a-local-branch]]
1. Create a local branch
If this is for an issue, consider a branch name with the issue number, like `gh-22276`.
[[write-tests]]
1. Add documentation and JUnit Tests for your changes.
[[update-copyright]]
1. In all files you edited, if the copyright header is of the form 2002-20xx, update the final copyright year to the current year.
[[add-since]]
1. If on `main`, add `@since` JavaDoc attributes to new public APIs that your PR adds
[[change-rnc]]
1. If you are updating the XSD, please instead update the RNC file and then run `./gradlew :spring-security-config:rncToXsd`.
[[format-code]]
1. For each commit, build the code using `./gradlew format check`.
This command ensures the code meets most of <<code-style,the style guide>>; a notable exception is import order.
[[commit-atomically]]
1. Choose the granularity of your commits consciously and squash commits that represent
multiple edits or corrections of the same logical change.
See https://git-scm.com/book/en/Git-Tools-Rewriting-History[Rewriting History section of Pro Git] for an overview of streamlining the commit history.
[[format-commit-messages]]
1. Format commit messages using 55 characters for the subject line, 72 characters per line
for the description, followed by the issue fixed, for example, `Closes gh-22276`.
See the https://git-scm.com/book/en/Distributed-Git-Contributing-to-a-Project#Commit-Guidelines[Commit Guidelines section of Pro Git] for best practices around commit messages, and use `git log` to see some examples.
Present tense is preferred.
+
[indent=0]
----
Address NullPointerException

Closes gh-22276
----
[[reference-issue]]
1. If there is a prior issue, reference the GitHub issue number in the description of the pull request.
+
[indent=0]
----
Closes gh-22276
----

If accepted, your contribution may be heavily modified as needed prior to merging.
You will likely retain author attribution for your Git commits granted that the bulk of your changes remain intact.
You may also be asked to rework the submission.

If asked to make corrections, simply push the changes against the same branch, and your pull request will be updated.
In other words, you do not need to create a new pull request when asked to make changes.
When it is time to merge, you'll be asked to squash your commits.

==== Participate in Reviews

Helping to review pull requests is another great way to contribute.
Your feedback can help to shape the implementation of new features.
When reviewing pull requests, however, please refrain from approving or rejecting a PR unless you are a core committer for Spring Security.
