release: prepare v3.0.0

Author: MudassarTariq

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+# Contributing Guide
+
+This repository contains the public Java SDK package for the IP Geolocation API.
+
+## Prerequisites
+- Java 21+
+- Maven 3.8+
+
+## Setup
+```bash
+mvn clean compile
+```
+
+## Run Tests
+
+Run full public test suite:
+```bash
+mvn clean verify
+```
+
+Run all tests without cleaning:
+```bash
+mvn test
+```
+
+Run one test class:
+```bash
+mvn -Dtest=IpGeolocationClientRequestBuildingTest test
+```
+
+Run one test method:
+```bash
+mvn -Dtest=IpGeolocationClientRequestBuildingTest#lookupBuildsExpectedQueryAndHeaders test
+```
+
+## Live API Tests (Optional)
+
+Live tests consume API credits and are disabled by default.
+
+```bash
+IPGEO_RUN_LIVE_TESTS=true IPGEO_FREE_KEY=... IPGEO_PAID_KEY=... mvn -Dtest=IpGeolocationLiveIntegrationTest test
+```
+
+## Coding and PR Notes
+- Keep changes focused and include tests for behavior changes.
+- Do not commit real API keys, tokens, or secrets.
+- Use clear commit messages, for example:
+  - `feat: add bulk xml raw response support`
+  - `fix: validate connect timeout does not exceed read timeout`
+  - `test: add error mapping coverage for 499`