Building and Developing Apache HBase

This chapter provides information for developers who want to build, test, or contribute to Apache HBase.

Getting the Source Code

The HBase source code is managed using Git. The canonical repository is hosted by the Apache Software Foundation.

git clone https://gitbox.apache.org/repos/asf/hbase.git
cd hbase

Building HBase

HBase uses Apache Maven for its build system.

Prerequisites

JDK 8 or later
Apache Maven 3.0.5 or later
Internet connection for first build (to download dependencies)

Building from Source

To build HBase from source:

mvn clean package -DskipTests

To build and run tests:

mvn clean package

To build distribution artifacts:

mvn clean package -DskipTests assembly:single

Running Tests

HBase has an extensive test suite including unit tests and integration tests.

Running Unit Tests

Run all unit tests:

mvn test

Run tests for a specific module:

mvn test -pl hbase-server

Run a specific test class:

mvn test -Dtest=TestRegionSplitting

Running Integration Tests

Integration tests are longer-running tests that verify end-to-end functionality:

mvn verify -P runAllTests

IDE Setup

IntelliJ IDEA

Import the project as a Maven project
Set JDK to version 8 or later
Enable annotation processing

Eclipse

Install m2eclipse plugin
Import as Maven project
Configure JDK

Code Standards

HBase follows standard Java coding conventions. Key points:

Use 2 spaces for indentation (not tabs)
Line length limit of 100 characters
Follow Java naming conventions
Add appropriate Javadoc comments
Include unit tests with code changes

Contributing

Workflow

File a JIRA issue for your change
Discuss the approach on the JIRA or dev list if it's a significant change
Create a patch or pull request
Respond to code review feedback
Commit once approved

Submitting Patches

HBase accepts contributions via:

Git patches attached to JIRA
Pull requests on GitHub (mirrored to JIRA)

Code Review

All code changes require review before being committed. Reviews happen on JIRA or through GitHub pull requests.

Debugging

Enabling Debug Logging

To enable debug logging for a specific class or package, you can:

Edit log4j2.properties and restart
Use the Web UI to change log levels dynamically
Use the HBase shell set_log_level command

Using a Debugger

You can attach a remote debugger to HBase processes by setting JAVA_DEBUG options in hbase-env.sh:

export HBASE_MASTER_OPTS="$HBASE_MASTER_OPTS -Xdebug -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=8070"
export HBASE_REGIONSERVER_OPTS="$HBASE_REGIONSERVER_OPTS -Xdebug -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=8071"

Then connect your IDE's remote debugger to the appropriate port.

Resources

For more detailed developer information including advanced topics, contribution guidelines, and release procedures, please refer to the HBase developer documentation and community resources.

Building and Developing Apache HBase

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