Hi Ryan, Good question! We have not gotten to that part yet. ASF typically recommends letting several committers take on this role so that multiple people are comfortable doing the release. The principle is to distribute the load of shepherding release.
If this proposal passes, I suggest we open a call for volunteers for a release line, and all the volunteers can coordinate. In the case where there are no volunteers, then no release can happen for that line. As a result, the PPMC may encourage, nominate, or appoint a Release Manager when needed. Best, Yicong Huang [email protected] On May 28, 2026 at 11:39 PM -0700, Chen Li <[email protected]>, wrote: > +1 > > On Thu, May 28, 2026 at 10:47 PM Yicong Huang <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Hi all, > > > > Following the recent discussion on improving our release process, I would > > like to start a vote to formally define the *Release Manager* role for > > Apache Texera releases. > > > > This proposal adopts a common practice from the broader open source > > community: each release line should have a clearly identified person > > coordinating the release work, while the actual release decision remains > > with the community through the normal Apache voting process. The > > defined Release > > Manager role follows the Apache release process described in the ASF > > release policy > > <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apache.org%2Flegal%2Frelease-policy.html&data=05%7C02%7Cyiconghuang%40umass.edu%7C825004e2abc2481db98608debd4d0028%7C7bd08b0b33954dc194bbd0b2e56a497f%7C0%7C0%7C639156335579240514%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=D1h4gXcHGhOJqPrrs9Hf%2FPIoZ7cW%2Fzo2INFmety5Da8%3D&reserved=0>. > > > > The Release Manager should be a Texera committer and is responsible for > > coordinating and executing the release process for a release line, > > including all patch releases in that line. > > > > I also want to give special thanks to *Jiadong Bai*, who effectively acted > > in this role, unofficially, during the release of *v1.1.0-incubating*. This > > proposal is partly intended to make that responsibility explicit and > > reusable for future releases. > > *Proposal* > > > > For each Apache Texera release line, we will assign one Release Manager. > > > > A release line refers to a minor release series, including the initial > > minor release and all follow-up patch releases. For example, the *v1.1* > > release line includes *v1.1.0-incubating*, *v1.1.1-incubating*, > > *v1.1.2-incubating*, and so on. > > > > The responsibilities include: > > > > 1. *Planning the release timeline* > > - Propose the target release scope and schedule. > > - Coordinate the release branch cut, release candidate preparation, > > and voting timeline. > > - Use issues to track release related information and timelines. > > 2. *Preparing release candidates and coordinate **release validation* > > - Prepare release artifacts, source packages, tags, checksums, and > > signatures. > > - Ensure the release artifacts follow Apache release requirements. > > - Run or coordinate required checks, including build, test, license, > > and source artifact checks. > > - Collect and summarize issues found during release candidate > > testing. > > - Prepare follow-up release candidates if needed. > > 3. *Running the release vote* > > - Start the dev-list vote for the release candidate. > > - Summarize the vote result after the voting period. > > - Coordinate the IPMC vote when required during incubation. > > 4. *Publishing the release* > > - Publish approved release artifacts (non-PPMCs release managers > > should seek help from PPMC members). > > - Update release tags, website/download links, documentation, and > > announcements as needed. > > - Send the release announcement after the release is complete. > > 5. *Keeping the community informed* > > - Provide status updates during the release process. > > - Make sure blockers, delays, and required actions are visible to the > > community. > > > > *Clarification* > > > > The Release Manager does *not* have special authority to approve a release > > alone. > > > > The Release Manager coordinates and executes the release process, but the > > release still requires the normal Apache voting procedure. During > > incubation, this includes PPMC approval and IPMC approval where required. > > PMC/PPMC members and mentors remain responsible for reviewing and approving > > release candidates. > > *Vote* > > > > Please vote on whether to adopt this Release Manager role definition for > > Apache Texera releases. > > > > +1 Adopt this Release Manager role definition > > 0 No strong opinion > > -1 Do not adopt this role definition, because… > > > > This vote will remain open for at least 72 hours. > > > > Best regards, > > Yicong Huang > >
