Apache Commons
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The Apache Commons is a project of the Apache Software Foundation, formerly under the Jakarta Project. The purpose of the Commons is to provide reusable, open source Java software. The Commons is composed of three parts: proper, sandbox, and dormant.
Commons Proper
The Commons Proper is dedicated to creating and maintaining reusable Java components. The Commons Proper is a place for collaboration and sharing, where developers from throughout the Apache community can work together on projects to be shared by Apache projects and Apache users. Commons developers will make an effort to ensure that their components have minimal dependencies on other software libraries, so that these components can be deployed easily. In addition, Commons components will keep their interfaces as stable as possible, so that Apache users, as well as other Apache projects, can implement these components without having to worry about changes in the future.[1]
In August 2006, there were over thirty projects in the Commons Proper, falling into five general categories.
| Component Category | Example |
|---|---|
| Packages | Codec and Modeler |
| Trivial | CLI, Discovery, Lang, and Collections |
| Utilities | BeanUtils, Configuration, Logging, DBCP, Pool, and Validator |
| Web-related | FileUpload and Net |
| XML-related | Betwixt, Digester, Jelly, and JXPath |
Table from (Goyal 2003)
Commons Sandbox
The Commons Sandbox is a workspace where Commons contributors collaborate and experiment on projects that have not been included in the Commons Proper. Projects in the Sandbox are championed by Commons members for promotion to the Commons Proper, and groups of developers work to enhance Sandbox projects until they meet the standards for promotion.
The current list of Commons Sandbox projects is available on the Commons Sandbox page.
Commons Dormant
The Commons Dormant is a collection of components that have been declared inactive due to little recent development activity. These components may be used, but must be built yourself. It is best to assume that these components will not be released in the near future.
The current list of Commons Dormant projects is available on the Commons Dormant page.
See also
References
Goyal, Vikram (2003), Using the Jakarta Commons, Part I, retrieved August 13, 2006
