Contents
Definition
In Debian, maintainers are people who work on uploaded packages. There are:
Debian Developers
Debian Project members who have gone through the Debian New Maintainers process and had their application accepted are called Debian Developers
Debian Maintainers (DM)
Debian Maintainer is an official status of people, who are allowed to upload specific packages. They don't need to request for sponsorship for these packages.
Sponsored maintainers
You can be a sponsored maintainer. You only need a sponsor.
Disambiguation
Here is a list of expressions which use the word "maintainer":
Debian New Maintainer
The Debian New Maintainers process, is the process of becoming an official Debian Developer (DD).
Debian New Maintainers' Guide
The Debian New Maintainers' Guide is the first document to read if you want to work with packages