AUTHORS.md

aid: authors-md
name: AUTHORS.md
description: 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.
type: Index
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
tags:
- Attribution
- Documentation
- Open Source
- Repository
- File Format
- Contributor Management
- License Compliance
- Standard
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/authors-md/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2025-01-01'
modified: '2026-04-19'
specificationVersion: '0.19'
apis:
- aid: authors-md-all-contributors
  name: All Contributors API
  description: 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 contributor management, a configuration schema (.all-contributorsrc),
    and an emoji-based contribution type taxonomy. The bot responds to GitHub comments to add contributors to the project
    README.
  humanURL: https://allcontributors.org
  baseURL: https://allcontributors.org
  tags:
  - Contributors
  - Attribution
  - Open Source
  - Bot
  - GitHub
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://allcontributors.org/docs/en/overview
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://allcontributors.org/docs/en/bot/installation
  - type: Specification
    url: https://allcontributors.org/docs/en/specification
  - type: GitHubRepository
    url: https://github.com/all-contributors/all-contributors
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/authors-md/refs/heads/main/json-schema/all-contributors-config-schema.json
common:
- type: GitHubOrganization
  url: https://github.com/api-evangelist
- type: GitHubRepository
  url: https://github.com/api-evangelist/authors-md
- type: Features
  data:
  - name: Author Attribution
    description: Documents original creators and primary authors of a project, fulfilling attribution requirements for open-source
      licenses like GPL and Apache 2.0.
  - name: Contributor Types
    description: Supports recognition of diverse contribution types beyond code including documentation, design, translation,
      testing, and community management.
  - name: Machine-Readable Format
    description: The All Contributors .all-contributorsrc configuration file provides a machine-readable JSON format for managing
      contributor metadata programmatically.
  - name: Bot Automation
    description: The All Contributors bot automates contributor recognition by responding to GitHub issue and pull request
      comments to update contributor tables.
  - name: License Compliance
    description: Helps projects satisfy attribution requirements in open-source licenses including GPL, LGPL, Apache 2.0,
      and MPL that require author documentation.
- type: UseCases
  data:
  - name: Open Source License Compliance
    description: Satisfying attribution requirements in GPL, Apache, and other licenses that require listing authors and contributors
      in distributed software.
  - name: Project Governance
    description: Documenting contributors for project governance purposes, recognition, and historical record-keeping of who
      built what portions of a codebase.
  - name: Contributor Onboarding
    description: Helping new contributors understand the project's authorship history and providing a clear path for getting
      recognized for their contributions.
  - name: Copyright Documentation
    description: Maintaining accurate copyright records for legal clarity around intellectual property ownership and contributor
      rights in collaborative projects.
  - name: Community Recognition
    description: Publicly recognizing contributors in README files and project documentation to build community engagement
      and acknowledge diverse contributions.
- type: Integrations
  data:
  - name: GitHub
    description: All Contributors bot integrates directly with GitHub repositories, responding to issue and pull request comments
      to manage contributor attribution.
  - name: REUSE / SPDX
    description: The REUSE specification by FSFE provides structured SPDX-based attribution that complements AUTHORS.md files
      with machine-readable copyright headers.
  - name: GNU Coding Standards
    description: GNU project guidelines specify conventions for AUTHORS files in free software projects, requiring attribution
      of significant code contributions.
  - name: CONTRIBUTING.md
    description: AUTHORS.md files work alongside CONTRIBUTING.md files to document both past contributors and guidelines for
      future contributions.
  - name: CHANGELOG.md
    description: AUTHORS.md attribution works in conjunction with CHANGELOG.md files to provide a complete history of a project's
      contributors and changes.
- type: Vocabulary
  url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/authors-md/refs/heads/main/vocabulary/authors-md-vocabulary.yaml
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com