Getting Involved

There are many ways that one can help out with the GeoServer project. GeoServer fully embraces an open source development model that does not see a split between user and developer, producer and consumer, but instead sees everyone as a valuable resource in a collaborative quest to build something better than any of us could alone.

Development

Helping to develop GeoServer is the obvious way to help out. Developers usually start with bug fixes and small patches, and then move into larger contributions as they learn the system. Our developers are more than happy to help out - try the Developers mailing list below - as you learn and get acquainted. We try our hardest to keep our code clean and well documented. You can find the project on github.

Documentation

One of the best and most needed ways to help out is with the documentation. Our official documentation is contained as part of our official code repository in order to maintain a uniform look and feel.

Mailing lists

GeoServer maintains two email lists: GeoServer Users and GeoServer Developers. These lists are publicly available and are a great resource for those who are new to GeoServer, who need a question answered, or who are interested in contributing code. The Users list is mainly for those who have questions relating to the use of GeoServer, and the Developers list is for more code-specific and roadmap-based discussions. If you see a question asked on these lists that you know the answer to, please respond!

IRC

GeoServer has an IRC channel, #geoserver, on the Freenode network. GeoServer developers frequent this channel, and so it is a great way to give and receive information in real time.

Bug tracking

If you have a problem when working with GeoServer, then please let us know through the mailing lists. GeoServer uses JIRA , a bug tracking website, to manage issue reports; you’ll need to create an account first. As GeoServer is open source, everyone is encouraged to fix bugs and submit patches. Even if you are not a core developer, we welcome patches through JIRA, or pull requests to github.

Translation

We would like GeoServer available in as many languages as possible, just as we want spatial data to be available to all. The two areas of GeoServer to translate are the text for the Web Administration Interface and this documentation. Eventually we would even like to set up GeoServer community sites in different languages. If you are interested in this please let us know via the mailing lists.

Suggest improvements

If you have suggestions as to how we can make GeoServer better, we would love to hear them. You can contact us through the mailing lists linked above or in the IRC.

Spread the word

A further way to help out the GeoServer project is to spread the word about it. Word of mouth information sharing is more powerful than any amount spent on marketing, and the more people who use our software, the better it will become.

Fund improvements

A final way to help out is to push for GeoServer to be used in your own organization. A number of commerical organizations offer support for GeoServer, and any improvements made due to that funding will benefit the entire GeoServer community.