The Java Community Process(SM) Program - Participation

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Participation

Becoming a JCP Member

This page explains the different categories of Membership in the Java Community Process Program, and provides details on how to become a JCP Member.

JCP Membership

Membership in the JCP offers you a chance to become a permanent part of the Java platform's history by contributing your work and recommendations to the various standard specifications, and/or a chance of serving on the Executive Committee. There are three types of JCP Membership: Associate, Partner, and Full Membership. JCP Members of any types are active contributors to the evolution of Java technology. There are no fees for JCP Membership.

Associate Members are individuals who can contribute to JSRs and vote for the Executive Committee.
Partner Members are Java User Groups and other non-profit organizations that can serve on and vote for the Executive Committee.
Full Members can serve on Expert Groups, lead JSRs, serve on and vote for the Executive Committee.

For a more complete list of the different privileges of JCP Members, please refer to the JCP Participation chart.

Use the links at the top of this section for instructions on how to join as an Associate Member, a Partner Member, or a Full Member.

Which JCP Membership do I choose?

Now that you know about the differences between the types of JCP Members, you may not know which type of JCP Membership is correct for you.

First, make sure that you have registered an account on jcp.org.

Then, find your type of organization in the flowchart below: commerical organizations, non-profit organizations, and individuals all have different paths to follow.
You can also download a .pdf of the flowchart.

NOTE: There are certain circumstances where you may wish to participate in the JCP under multiple Memberships, such as if you are the member of a Java Users Group (Partner Membership) AND want to contribute to a JSR (Associate Membership). Each Membership requires the use of a distinct user account.

If you have any questions about filling out an agreement or the Java Community Process in general, please contact the Program Management Office as per the instructions on the PMO contacts page.

Why Join

JCP Member Quotes

We asked some of our Members why they joined the JCP Program.

"Joining the JCP, especially being a member of several expert groups, has had a big impact on my career. Mostly by making it visible for the leadership and managers in my company that I am actually a part of forming the future of the platform. I also think, or hope, that it is an inspiration for my colleagues." - Ivar Grimstad

"Joining the JCP is like being a Java citizen." - Heinz Kabutz

"Participating in the JCP heavily extended my Java EE knowledge as I started to deep dive into the standardizations being currently developed when I observed the progress and even more when I started to serve as an JAX-RS Expert Group member. Besides gaining knowledge about various specifications it's also very interesting to see how the future of Java will look like. Of course it is always a nice benefit to write JCP participation into your CV -- nothing says more that somebody knows Java EE than that they actually helped working on the specifications."
- Sebastian Daschner

"1) Networking, you meet important guys from different countries that is really cool. Maybe some of these guys could be your next colleagues.
2) Soft skill, you improve many soft skill such as communication, oratory, speak English, to non native.
3) Popularity
4) Technical skill. Once you open pull requests, suggest path, help in documentation, study the code, you will receive code review, mentoring and learn how companies such Red Hat, Tomitribe, IBM do their structure code.
5) Work in mainstream company, company that work with technology, became easier once you contribute in the most popular technology in the world."
- Otavio Santana

"As an employee of large corporation getting the permission for the Exhibit B is a long process. Getting signed up as an Associate Member was done in no time - all on-line simplified process - just awesome!"
- Sven Reimers

"I learned Java in the early days, reading the specifications of the language. Since then, I have found that getting involved with the process that defines the technology is an excellent boost to my career. It has allowed me to learn first what is being created, it helped me meet with some of the most important developers of the Java world, and enabled me to give my customers the best advice for their projects."
- Bruno Souza, Java Developer, member of the JCP since 2000