Pi4J Contribution Guide

June 22, 2026 · View on GitHub

Pi4J is a project of the Commonhaus Foundation.

Thanks for considering a contribution to the Pi4J project. We value every contribution, whether it's a document edit, bug fix, code improvement,pi4j or a major revision.

This is the generic contribution guide for the Pi4J project. Check the repository-specific contributing guide for more detailed instructions for this specific code base.

All contributions to this repository are licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 or later, or, if another license is specified as governing the file or directory being modified, such other license.

All contributions are subject to the Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO). The DCO text is also included verbatim in the dco.txt file in the root directory of the repository.

Compliance with Laws and Regulations

All contributions must comply with applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. export control and sanctions restrictions. For background, see the Linux Foundation’s guidance: Navigating Global Regulations and Open Source: US OFAC Sanctions.

Quick start

  • Discuss First: For significant changes, start a GitHub discussion in this repository to establish consensus. For smaller edits, you can directly create a pull request (PR).

  • Fork and Edit: Fork the repository to your account, make your changes there.

Making changes

  • Be Clear: Ensure your contributions are direct and easy to understand.
  • Remain Consistent: Follow the existing format and structure of the documents.
  • Cross-reference Discussions and PRs: Link back to relevant discussions or other PRs in your commit messages.
  • Building documents (optional): When you create a PR, a build will run to validate the changes. If the build fails, please address the issues.

Submitting changes

  • Create a PR: Submit your changes via a pull request from your fork. Check the automatic build for any generation errors.
  • Wait for Review: A code owner will review your PR and might ask for changes or clarifications.
  • Respond to Feedback: Address any feedback to get your PR approved and merged.

Thank you

Every contribution matters. For any questions, feel free to reach out.

Happy contributing!