Growing with the Community: Zhang Shenghang’s Path to Apache SeaTunnel PMC Member

🎉 Hi Community—more exciting news! Zhang Shenghang has been invited to join the Apache SeaTunnel PMC in recognition of his outstanding contributions—well deserved!

Over the years, Zhang has been highly active in the Apache SeaTunnel community. From improving code quality, refining documentation, to engaging with the community and mentoring newcomers, his presence has been everywhere. He consistently embraces the Apache Way, contributing with dedication and passion to the growth of the project.

We took this opportunity to conduct an in-depth interview with him. Covering his background, open source journey, PMC role, and thoughts on community development and culture, this conversation offers a closer look at his story and his enthusiasm for open source.

Personal Background & Open Source Journey

1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and how you entered the big data and open source space? Name: Zhang Shenghang GitHub: zhangshenghang

1. When did you start contributing to Apache SeaTunnel, and what was the motivation?
   I started contributing to Apache SeaTunnel in June 2024. Initially, I was using DataX, a classic standalone data integration tool. However, it lacks service-oriented and distributed capabilities, which creates limitations in large-scale data synchronization scenarios. That’s when I came across Apache SeaTunnel as a more comprehensive solution.

2. What key contributions or features have you worked on in SeaTunnel?
   He has contributed to multiple core features and improvements, including adding a pending queue feature for SeaTunnel Engine task scheduling, enabling Kafka Protobuf format support, introducing Kerberos testing in e2e workflows, implementing a new resource scheduling algorithm in SeaTunnel Engine, adding TTL support for HBase Sink, introducing API-based log retrieval, fixing Flink source 100% busy issues, supporting the Typesense connector, enabling default value substitution for configuration variables, fixing Doris custom SQL execution issues, correcting Kafka consumer offset auto-commit logic, and resolving RabbitMQ checkpoint issues in Flink mode.

Open Source Contributions & Growth

1. Which contribution or experience impressed you the most?
   What impressed me most was not just submitting a PR, but the full process—from discovering a problem, analyzing it, discussing solutions with the community, to finally implementing and validating the fix. Issues involving engine scheduling, resource allocation, and Flink stability often look simple on the surface but are deeply tied to framework mechanisms and runtime behavior. Solving them requires both deep code understanding and close collaboration.

2. What is the most important skill in open source collaboration?
   All are important, but if I had to choose one, it would be the ability to collaborate continuously. Technical skills are foundational, but communication is equally critical—open source is not just about writing code, but explaining context, design decisions, and trade-offs clearly so others can understand.

3. What advice would you give to beginners in open source?
   Don’t overestimate the difficulty. You don’t need to start with massive features or deep architectural changes. Fixing a bug, improving documentation, adding tests, or optimizing small features are all valuable contributions.

Becoming a PMC Member

1. Congratulations on becoming a PMC Member! What was your first reaction?
   Thank you. My first reaction was both excitement and a strong sense of responsibility. It’s recognition of past contributions, but also a reminder that a PMC Member is not just a contributor, but a community builder.

2. What does becoming a PMC Member mean to you and the community?
   To me, it represents recognition of long-term contributions, collaboration ability, and responsibility. Personally, it means thinking beyond individual modules and considering the project’s overall development, governance, and ecosystem. For the community, more PMC Members mean more people willing to take responsibility and drive sustainable growth.

3. How important is the Apache Way to open source success?
   It emphasizes “Community Over Code.” A project succeeds not just because of good code, but because of an open, transparent, and sustainable collaboration culture.

SeaTunnel Community Development

1. What key milestones has SeaTunnel gone through?
   SeaTunnel has evolved from a data synchronization tool into a more comprehensive data integration platform, expanding across connectors, orchestration, engines, and observability. The maturation of SeaTunnel Engine is a major turning point, enabling stronger unified execution capabilities. Additionally, increased community activity and internationalization have significantly boosted its impact.

2. How do you see SeaTunnel’s position and future?
   SeaTunnel is building a unique position by balancing rich connectors, strong engine capabilities, scalability, and enterprise readiness. Compared to traditional tools, it fits modern data infrastructure better; compared to heavyweight platforms, it remains flexible and extensible. It has strong potential to become a leading global open source data integration project.

3. What are your future plans as a PMC Member?
   I plan to focus on improving SeaTunnel Engine, scheduling, resource management, and system stability; strengthening connectors and production readiness; and helping new contributors onboard faster through issue guidance, PR reviews, and knowledge sharing.

Personal Growth & Open Source Culture

1. How has open source impacted your career and growth?
   Professionally, it has exposed me to real-world complex problems and high-standard collaboration environments. Personally, it has deepened my understanding of collaboration, responsibility, and long-term thinking. Open source has shaped not only my technical skills but also my mindset and working style.

2. How would you summarize the spirit of open source in one sentence?
   Open source is about collaboratively creating, improving, and sharing technology in an open and inclusive way for the benefit of everyone.