In 2023, HashiCorp changed the licensing for Terraform, a popular infrastructure-as-code tool, pushing it toward a more restricted model. This move raised eyebrows in the open-source community, especially as the Cloud Native Computing Foundation highlighted increased risks tied to single-supplier open-source offerings.
Amanda Brock, CEO of OpenUK, believes datacenters should adopt more open-source tech, as it can significantly cut carbon emissions. She insists that using open specs allows for better collaboration, and data usage helps optimize power consumption. While big companies face criticism for not contributing enough back to open-source projects, Brock believes licensing changes won’t necessarily deter datacenters from pursuing open-source options.
Brock recalls a company that initially moved away from open-source, only to return after reconciling their issues with AWS. She argues that forking, a potential response to restrictive licensing, isn’t as prevalent as one might think. While forking allows developers to create their versions of software when they disagree with a leadership decision, she points out that successful forks are rare in the history of open source.
Peter Zaitsev, founder of Percona, sees the licensing shift prompting new alternatives. He argues that while some may need to pay for crucial projects, many will also create substitutes. Even if supplier practices change, the option to fork will become more appealing, citing the recent Elastic case as an example.
Colin Eberhardt from Scott Logic estimates that 70-95% of datacenter software is based on open-source tech, even in industries like banking where code scrutiny is critical. He notes that while larger cloud infrastructures may have complex codebases, even simpler datacenters rely heavily on open-source solutions.
Eberhardt also warns about the risks associated with poorly maintained open-source projects, which could become vulnerabilities. This potential for attack doesn’t overshadow the significance of licensing concerns but adds another layer to the challenge.
He insists that organizations need to actively understand their open-source usage. Questions about sustainability, dependencies, and potential risks should be at the forefront. It often surprises him how little users know about their own code, emphasizing the need for thorough documentation.
Jad Jebara from Hyperview stresses that open source has been key to innovation and the growth of the digital economy. Moving toward profit can complicate things, blurring lines of security and financial compensation. Even though foundations like Apache and Linux do valuable work, they can’t fully cover gaps in licensing and vulnerability management.
Ultimately, understanding the resources within their tech stacks is crucial for organizations. Knowing what’s in use, including any outdated components, is vital for informed decision-making. For many datacentres, stringent licensing may offer benefits under certain commercial packages, but most aspects of open source will continue to hold their ground.