AUTHORS.md
AUTHORS.md is a file format standard used in open-source and collaborative software projects to list the original creators, primary authors, and significant contributors of a project. Often required by open-source licenses such as GPL and Apache 2.0 to provide proper attribution, the AUTHORS.md file documents who wrote what portions of a codebase, their email addresses, and the scope of their contributions. Related standards include CONTRIBUTORS.md, All Contributors specification, and REUSE/SPDX contributor attribution frameworks.
APIs
All Contributors API
The All Contributors specification provides a standardized way to recognize contributions to open-source projects beyond just code. It includes a bot API for automating contribu...
Features
Documents original creators and primary authors of a project, fulfilling attribution requirements for open-source licenses like GPL and Apache 2.0.
Supports recognition of diverse contribution types beyond code including documentation, design, translation, testing, and community management.
The All Contributors .all-contributorsrc configuration file provides a machine-readable JSON format for managing contributor metadata programmatically.
The All Contributors bot automates contributor recognition by responding to GitHub issue and pull request comments to update contributor tables.
Helps projects satisfy attribution requirements in open-source licenses including GPL, LGPL, Apache 2.0, and MPL that require author documentation.
Use Cases
Satisfying attribution requirements in GPL, Apache, and other licenses that require listing authors and contributors in distributed software.
Documenting contributors for project governance purposes, recognition, and historical record-keeping of who built what portions of a codebase.
Helping new contributors understand the project's authorship history and providing a clear path for getting recognized for their contributions.
Maintaining accurate copyright records for legal clarity around intellectual property ownership and contributor rights in collaborative projects.
Publicly recognizing contributors in README files and project documentation to build community engagement and acknowledge diverse contributions.
Integrations
All Contributors bot integrates directly with GitHub repositories, responding to issue and pull request comments to manage contributor attribution.
The REUSE specification by FSFE provides structured SPDX-based attribution that complements AUTHORS.md files with machine-readable copyright headers.
GNU project guidelines specify conventions for AUTHORS files in free software projects, requiring attribution of significant code contributions.
AUTHORS.md files work alongside CONTRIBUTING.md files to document both past contributors and guidelines for future contributions.
AUTHORS.md attribution works in conjunction with CHANGELOG.md files to provide a complete history of a project's contributors and changes.