backstage/LABELS.md

# GitHub Labels in Backstage

This document explains the GitHub labels used in the Backstage main repository. Labels help categorize and track issues and pull requests, but are also used as a communication tool in order to help maintainers respond to issues and pull requests faster.

## Issue Type Labels - `type:*`

These labels help you understand what type of work is needed.

- `type:bug` - Something doesn't work as expected and needs fixing.
- `type:docs` - Documentation is missing or needs updating.
- `type:suggestion` - An proposal for a new feature or change.
- `type:maintenance` - Routine maintenance tasks, version bumps, cleanup, deprecations, etc.

## Priority Labels - `priority:*`

These labels all signal that the issue has been accepted for implementation, and further indicate its priority and whether the owners of the area will address it:

- `priority:critical` - The owners of the area will address this as soon as possible.
- `priority:roadmap` - The owners of the area have this on their roadmap and will address it when possible, some contributions may be welcome.
- `priority:contrib-welcome` - The owners of the area are unlikely to address this in the short term, but contributions are welcome.
- `priority:contrib-needed` - This will not be addressed by the owners of the area, but contributions are welcome.

## Need Labels - `needs:*`

These labels indicate what is needed to move an issue forward before it can be accepted for implementation:

- `needs:bep` - The issue is an advanced addition that needs a [Backstage Enhancement Proposal](./beps/README.md).
- `needs:direction` - The issue needs direction from the owners of the area.
- `needs:more-info` - The issue needs more information from the author.
- `needs:motivation` - It is not clear why this change is needed. The author should provide motivation for the change, for instance by giving examples of concrete use cases or scenarios.
- `needs:repro` - The issue cannot be reproduced by the owners of the area. The author should provide more information to help them reproduce the issue, if possible with a minimal reproduction repository.
- `needs:triage` - The issue needs initial review.
- `needs:unblock` - The issue is blocked by another issue or upstream dependency.

## Area Labels - `area:*`

These labels indicate which part of Backstage an issue or pull request relates to. As a contributor, these help you find issues in areas you're interested in or have expertise in.

- `area:auth` - Authentication and 3rd party authorization.
- `area:catalog` - The Catalog plugin and the Software Catalog model and integrations.
- `area:core` - The core Backstage framework.
- `area:design-system` - The Canon design system and library.
- `area:permission` - The Permissions system and permission integrations from other plugins.
- `area:scaffolder` - The Scaffolder plugin that powers Software Templates.
- `area:search` - The Search plugin and search integrations for other plugins.
- `area:techdocs` - The TechDocs plugin.

## Integration Labels - `integration:*`

These labels help you find issues related to specific external integrations:

- `integration:aws` - [Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/)
- `integration:azure` - [Microsoft Azure](https://azure.microsoft.com/) and [Azure DevOps](https://dev.azure.com/)
- `integration:bitbucket-cloud` - [Bitbucket Cloud](https://bitbucket.org/)
- `integration:bitbucket-server` - Bitbucket Server (Stash)
- `integration:gcp` - [Google Cloud Platform](https://cloud.google.com/)
- `integration:gerrit` - [Gerrit](https://www.gerritcodereview.com/)
- `integration:gitea` - [Gitea](https://gitea.com/)
- `integration:github` - [GitHub](https://github.com/)
- `integration:gitlab` - [GitLab](https://gitlab.com/)

## Domain Labels

These labels indicate that an issue is related to specific domains of expertise.

- `domain:a11y` - Web domain issues specifically related to accessibility.
- `domain:design` - Visual design and user experience.
- `domain:docs` - Documentation for adopters, users, and developers.
- `domain:backend` - Backend development in Node.js.
- `domain:tooling` - Tooling and automation in Node.js and GitHub Actions.
- `domain:web` - Frontend development using TypeScript and React.

## General Labels

- `after vacations` - To be handled once the owners return from vacation.
- `do not merge` - The pull request should not be merged.
- `fix before release` - Should be handled before the next release.
- `good first issue` - Good for new contributors.
- `stale` - The issue or pull request has not seen any activity for a while and will be closed if no further activity is seen.

## Common Issue Filters

This is a collection of common issue filters that can help you find issues that you are looking for or that match your interests and skills.

### New Contributors

These issues are ideal for new contributors to get started and don't require much familiarity with Backstage.

- [Backend](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22good%20first%20issue%22%20label%3A%22domain%3Abackend%22%20)
- [Documentation](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22good%20first%20issue%22%20label%3A%22domain%3Adocs%22%20)
- [Tooling](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22good%20first%20issue%22%20label%3A%22domain%3Atooling%22%20)
- [Web](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22good%20first%20issue%22%20label%3A%22domain%3Aweb%22%20)

### Experienced Contributors

These issues generally require some familiarity with Backstage and the codebase, and are either open for or require contributions from the community.

- [Backend](<https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20(label%3Apriority%3Acontrib-welcome%20OR%20label%3Apriority%3Acontrib-needed)%20label%3A%22domain%3Abackend%22%20>)
- [Documentation](<https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20(label%3Apriority%3Acontrib-welcome%20OR%20label%3Apriority%3Acontrib-needed)%20label%3A%22domain%3Adocs%22%20>)
- [Tooling](<https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20(label%3Apriority%3Acontrib-welcome%20OR%20label%3Apriority%3Acontrib-needed)%20label%3A%22domain%3Atooling%22%20>)
- [Web](<https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20(label%3Apriority%3Acontrib-welcome%20OR%20label%3Apriority%3Acontrib-needed)%20label%3A%22domain%3Aweb%22%20>)

### Maintainer Lists

These are useful lists for maintainers.

- [After vacations](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22after%20vacations%22)
- [Critical priority](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22priority%3Acritical%22)
- [Fix before release](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22fix%20before%20release%22)
- [Needs direction](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22needs%3Adirection%22)
- [Needs triage](https://github.com/backstage/backstage/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22needs%3Atriage%22)