Meet Shenghang Zhang: A New Apache SeaTunnel Committer with a Vision for the Community
Recently, Zhang Shenghang was elected as a Committer of Apache SeaTunnel. With his passion for technology and commitment to the community, how will he help elevate the Apache SeaTunnel community to new heights? Let’s hear his story.
Self Introduction
Please briefly introduce yourself, including your professional background, current role, and how you got involved with the Apache SeaTunnel community.
- Full Name: Shenghang Zhang
- Email: shenghang@apache.org
- Current Role: Big Data Architect
- Main Technical Focus: I work in the automotive industry as a Big Data Architect, responsible for the overall data platform. I lead the development of data operation and maintenance, synchronization, and other platforms to provide efficient data support for business systems.
- Joined SeaTunnel Community: June 2024
- How did you first encounter SeaTunnel: At the time, we were using DataX, a classic offline data integration tool. However, DataX lacks service-oriented and distributed processing capabilities, limiting its use in large-scale data synchronization scenarios. We needed a more comprehensive data integration framework, which led us to choose Apache SeaTunnel.
Journey of Community Contributions
What contributions did you make to the community before becoming a Committer?
What was your first contribution?
- Fixing the Kafka consumer group auto-offset commit logic error.
What specific features, improvements, or activities did you lead?
Added the “Pending Queue” feature to Seatunnel Engine task scheduling:
Supported Kafka Protobuf data format:
Enabled Kerberos testing in e2e:
Added resource scheduling algorithm to Seatunnel Engine:
Added TTL feature for HBase Sink:
Introduced API to retrieve logs:
Fixed Flink Source 100% busy issue:
Added support for Typesense connector:
Enabled default value substitution for config variables:
Fixed Doris custom SQL not executing:
Fixed Kafka consumer group auto-offset commit logic error:
Fixed Flink mode RabbitMQ checkpoint exceptions:
What challenges did you face during your contributions, and how did you overcome them?
The Engine, Connector, and Transform each have a large codebase, and it was challenging to learn initially. I’m very grateful to the community’s technical experts, especially senior contributors like Fan Jia and Hailin, whose guidance significantly accelerated my understanding of SeaTunnel.
What does becoming a Committer mean to you?
Becoming a Committer allows me to better drive community development, help new contributors integrate, promote greater participation in open-source projects, and contribute to the spread of open-source culture in China. Additionally, it offers opportunities to exchange ideas with industry leaders, engage in technical discussions, and contribute to the project’s architecture.
Insights on SeaTunnel
What unique advantages do you think SeaTunnel offers as an open-source project?
High scalability, support for multiple data sources, efficient and stable data processing capabilities, an active community, and ease of use and deployment.
What are your favorite features or capabilities of SeaTunnel?
Its real-time data integration capabilities.
A Message for the Community
What advice do you have for community members, especially newcomers looking to join open-source projects?
Don’t be afraid if you can’t understand the source code or struggle to solve problems. Reading source code is an essential stage in every developer’s growth. Many optimizations are not that complex. My first PR in SeaTunnel was just fixing a simple logic check to resolve a bug.
If developers want to start contributing to SeaTunnel, where should they begin?
Here’s a recommended approach to get started:
- Understand the project by downloading and using it, familiarizing yourself with its features and issues.
- Read the contribution guide to familiarize yourself with the project’s contribution process and requirements.
- Start with small tasks like fixing documentation or simple bugs, and gradually accumulate experience.
- Participate in community discussions by joining mailing lists, WeChat groups, etc., to stay updated on the project.
- Be patient, accept feedback, and improve over time.
Gratitude and Future Outlook 🙏
How do you balance work, open-source contributions, and personal life?
Haha, I try to avoid excessive screen time after work and focus on being active in the open-source community during my free time. Many SeaTunnel PMC/Committer members are still actively communicating with me late at night! I truly respect and admire their dedication.
Who or which team has given you special support on your open-source journey?
Of course, WhaleOps! WhaleOps is a software company founded by the original creators of Apache Dolphinscheduler and Apache SeaTunnel, the Data Engineers at WhaleOps are both passionate and humble.
What are your expectations for the future of the SeaTunnel community?
Apache SeaTunnel has already demonstrated tremendous strength in the basic capabilities of data integration. However, as data processing increasingly emphasizes user experience and ease of operation, breakthroughs in visual interfaces will be crucial for expanding its user base, improving user satisfaction, and lowering the entry barrier. This will provide strong support for non-technical professionals to efficiently use SeaTunnel for data integration tasks.
