Welcome to the inaugural post of the OpenGit blog! We’re excited to kick off this journey with you and share the vision, goals, and principles that drive the creation and development of our platform.

We’re aiming to keep you informed about the progress we’re making, the challenges we encounter, and the milestones we achieve through posts on this blog. In this first post, we want to introduce you to OpenGit and outline our mission.

By embarking on this journey, we’re not just building a platform — we’re contributing to a larger movement that empowers developers to freely collaborate and innovate without the limitations imposed by proprietary systems.

OpenGit: Our Mission and Vision

OpenGit is an ambitious project with a clear mission: to create a sustainable, free (as in free beer), open source software hosting service designed for the Free and Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) community. The idea behind OpenGit is simple yet powerful — provide developers with a platform where they can host their projects, collaborate with others, and contribute to the open source ecosystem without the risks, barriers, and restrictions often associated with proprietary platforms.

Sustainability is one of the key points of OpenGit. We understand that creating and maintaining a platform like this involves significant costs, from hardware and hosting to domains and development. However, we are committed to keeping the service free for our users. To achieve this, we are adopting a funding model based on donations, sponsorships, subsidies and grants from private individuals, corporate as well as governmental entities amongst other options.

Why focus on sustainability? Because we believe that a truly open platform should not be dependent on the whims of venture capital or the constraints of profit-driven business models. Our goal is to build a service that can endure, grow, and evolve with the needs of the community, while staying true to the principles of openness and collaboration.

In addition to financial sustainability, we are also committed to environmental sustainability. Wherever possible, we will make choices that minimize our environmental impact. This includes selecting energy-efficient hardware, optimizing our software for reduced resource consumption, and exploring renewable energy options.

OpenGit is built entirely on open source software, ensuring that every tool we use, from the infrastructure to the application layer, is open for inspection, modification, and improvement by anyone interested. The main piece of software we use is Forgejo. By leveraging Forgejo, we’re not only ensuring a robust and feature-rich platform but also contributing to the broader vision of a decentralized, federated future where collaboration knows no boundaries.

Guiding Principles

As we work towards our goals, we are committed to adhering to a set of guiding principles that reflect our values and the values of the open source community. These principles will inform both our decisions and actions we take as we develop and operate the OpenGit platform.

1. Transparency

Transparency is the cornerstone of trust. At OpenGit, we believe that our users have the right to know what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how we are doing it. This applies not only to the technical aspects of our platform but also to our financial operations.

To this end, we will regularly publish reports detailing our expenses, funding sources, and how we allocate resources. We also welcome feedback on these reports, as we believe in continuous improvement through community input.

We will also be transparent about the decisions we make regarding the platform’s development, including the rationale behind new features, changes to existing functionality, and any challenges or setbacks we encounter.

2. Respect

Respect is fundamental to any community, and OpenGit is no exception. We are committed to treating all our users with respect and dignity, regardless of their background, experience level, or anything else. We expect the same level of respect from our users towards each other and towards the platform, foundation and its staff.

To foster a respectful environment, we will implement and enforce terms of use with stipulations that set clear expectations for behavior within the OpenGit community. These terms of use cover interactions on the platform, contributions to projects, and communications in any associated forums or channels.

Our aim is to create a welcoming and inclusive space where developers from all walks of life and from around the globe can collaborate and thrive.

3. Safety: Protecting Your Data and Ensuring Platform Stability

At OpenGit, safety is one of our top priorities, encompassing both the security of your data and the stability of our platform. In today’s digital world, safeguarding user information and maintaining a reliable service are critical, and we are fully committed to these responsibilities.

In the event that unforeseen challenges arise, we are committed to transparent communication. If there’s a service disruption or a security incident, we will promptly inform our users, provide regular updates on the situation, and work swiftly to resolve any issues.

By prioritizing both data safety and platform stability, we ensure that you can trust OpenGit to protect your most valuable assets — your code — while providing a stable, uninterrupted environment for your work.

4. Privacy

Privacy is a fundamental human right, and at OpenGit, we take this right seriously. We believe that our users should have full control over their personal data and how it is used.

To protect user privacy, we will adopt a privacy-by-design approach in the development of our platform. This means that privacy considerations will be integrated into every aspect of OpenGit through our Privacy Policy, from the initial design phase through to deployment and operation.

We will collect only the data that is necessary to provide the service, and we will never sell or share this data with third parties without explicit user consent. Users will have the ability to control their privacy settings, manage their data, and request the deletion of their accounts and associated information at any time.

5. Community-Driven Development

OpenGit is a platform built for the Free and Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) community. We will actively solicit feedback from our users, and this feedback will play a crucial role in guiding our development roadmap. Whether it’s suggesting new features, reporting bugs, or proposing changes to existing functionality, we encourage our users to participate in the ongoing evolution of the platform.

If you want to support us in our mission, check out our section on how you can contribute.

Looking Ahead

As we embark on this journey, we are filled with excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead. OpenGit is more than just a platform; it is an initiative that reflects the values of freedom, openness, collaboration, and sustainability. We are committed to building a service that not only meets the needs of today’s developers but also supports the growth and evolution of the open source ecosystem for years to come.

In future blog posts, we will dive deeper into the technical aspects of OpenGit and share updates on our development progress. We hope you’ll join us on this journey and help us make OpenGit the best platform it can be.

Stay tuned for more updates, and happy coding!