The Apache Software Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides software for the public good through a community-governed open source model. Rather than operating as a commercial software vendor, it serves as a neutral legal and organizational home for hundreds of volunteer-led projects and makes their software available at no charge under open source licensing.
Its role spans project incubation, governance, licensing, infrastructure, trademark stewardship, security coordination, and community development. The Apache Software Foundation is closely associated with widely used technologies such as Apache HTTP Server, Apache Kafka, Apache Cassandra, Apache Camel, Apache Airflow, and Apache Groovy, while Apache License 2.0 and The Apache Way have influenced open source collaboration far beyond its own project portfolio.
Offerings, Capabilities, and Integrations
The Apache Software Foundation enables open, collaborative software development by giving project communities a durable operating framework. Its capabilities include incubation for incoming projects, community governance practices, release and distribution guidance, contributor onboarding resources, mentoring, and neutral oversight that helps projects become self-governing and sustainable.
It also provides the non-code foundations that many open source communities need to operate at scale: intellectual property and licensing support, trademark stewardship, technical infrastructure, vulnerability handling coordination, and community programs such as Community Over Code and local engagement initiatives. Software under its umbrella is distributed freely, with the foundation focused on stewardship and enablement rather than commercial packaging or proprietary service delivery.
Products and Services
- Apache License 2.0: A permissive open source license maintained by The Apache Software Foundation that allows broad use, modification, and distribution of software and is widely adopted across the open source ecosystem.
- Apache Incubator: The entry path for projects joining The Apache Software Foundation, providing mentorship and a structured process for building sustainable communities, governance practices, and project readiness.
- Apache HTTP Server: An open-source HTTP server for modern operating systems designed to be secure, efficient, and extensible for web serving and related workloads.
- Apache Airflow: A workflow orchestration platform used to build, schedule, and run directed acyclic graph-based workflows and data pipelines.
- Apache Camel: An open-source integration framework based on Enterprise Integration Patterns for routing, mediation, and connecting applications, services, and data sources.
- Apache Cassandra: A distributed NoSQL database built for horizontal scalability, fault tolerance, and high availability across cloud and on-premises environments.
- Apache Groovy: A flexible language for the JVM that combines Java-like syntax with dynamic and static typing, scripting support, DSL creation, and strong Java interoperability.
- Apache Kafka: A distributed event streaming platform used for real-time data pipelines, stream processing, and integration of event-driven applications.
- Community Over Code: The Apache Software Foundation’s branded event series for contributors, users, and community members to share technical knowledge, collaborate across projects, and strengthen open source communities.
Target Customers
The Apache Software Foundation serves two primary audiences: open source project communities that need a neutral home for governance, licensing, trademarks, and infrastructure; and the developers, operators, and organizations that adopt Apache software in production or contribute back to it. Its community resources are designed for participants ranging from first-time contributors to committers, mentors, and project leaders.
Because its software is freely available and broadly reusable, adoption spans individuals, startups, enterprises, research institutions, schools, governments, and nonprofits. Organizations that value vendor-neutral technology, community-led development, and open licensing are especially well aligned with The Apache Software Foundation’s model.
Key People
- Sander Striker: Board Chair
- Ruth Suehle: President
- Daniel Ruggeri: Exec. V.P.
- Craig McClanahan: Treasurer
- Matt Sicker: Secretary
- Justin Mclean: Vice Chair
- Roman Shaposhnik: V.P., Legal Affairs
- Mark J. Cox: V.P., Security
- Danny Angus: V.P., Infrastructure
- Sally Khudairi: V.P., Sponsor Relations
Key Facts
- Headquarters: Wilmington, Delaware, United States
- Employees: 4 paid employees
- Annual Revenue: $2.08M
- Parent Company: None
- Subsidiaries: None
- Publicly Listed: No
