AWS Brings OpenSearch Under the Linux Foundation

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced that the OpenSearch project has officially transitioned to the OpenSearch Software Foundation, a neutral, community-driven initiative under the Linux Foundation. 

OpenSearch is an Apache 2.0-licensed, open-source fork of the popular Elasticsearch search and analytics engine. After this transition, OpenSearch became part of the Linux Foundation family of open-source projects. 

This announcement follows the earlier expansion of the project’s leadership team to include external stakeholders, ensuring that decisions about its future direction are guided by a broader community beyond AWS. 

The transition to the OpenSearch Software Foundation will enable a more neutral and community-focused approach, fostering a transparent and inclusive environment where all community members feel welcome to contribute.

“By transferring OpenSearch to the Linux Foundation, we are setting the project and its community up for its next stage of growth,” said Nandini Ramani, Vice President of Search and Cloud Operations at AWS.

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“With vendor-neutral governance that invites greater collaboration, along with programming and operational resources to further nurture the community, we look forward to working collaboratively with this new foundation to ensure everyone can continue to benefit from OpenSearch.”

In 2021, AWS launched the OpenSearch project in response to Elastic’s shift to a proprietary license for its Elasticsearch and Kibana software. This move was part of a broader trend where vendors were aiming to protect their software from large cloud providers, such as AWS, from offering hosted services based on their software. 

AWS’s launch of OpenSearch comes just weeks after Elastic decided to reintroduce its Elasticsearch and Kibana software under an open-source license. This decision by Elastic was driven by growing community demand for more accessible and transparent software options.

Since its launch, OpenSearch has gained significant traction with over 700 million downloads. The monthly downloads are up 56% year-over-year. The project also boasts participation from thousands of contributors and more than 200 project maintainers.

With the launch of the OpenSearch Software Foundation, several major companies, including SAP and Uber, are becoming premier members. Additionally, Aiven, Aryn, Atlassian, Canonical, DigitalOcean, Eliatra, Graylog, NetApp, Instaclustr, and Portal26 are joining as general members.

“For users of Amazon OpenSearch Service, the OpenSearch project’s move to The Linux Foundation does not change anything with regard to how the service is managed or operated,” wrote Kris Freedain, Community Manager for the OpenSearch Project, in a blog post. “That said, we believe that a robust open source project and community will continue to fuel innovation for that service, just as it will for any offering based on OpenSearch.”

The stewardship provided by AWS has been instrumental in the project’s success, however, as OpenSearch continues to grow, there is an increasing need for a broader and more diverse pool of contributors and maintainers. Transitioning the project under the Linux Foundation’s umbrella will mark the next chapter in OpenSearch’s evolution.

AWS’s choice to contribute to the OpenSearch project will also enable it to tap into the expertise of the Linux Foundation, which is renowned for its management and growth of open-source projects. 

The launch also strategically positions OpenSearch to move away from the perception that it is a solely AWS-driven initiative. Altering this perception would be vital for the ongoing growth and wider acceptance within the open-source community. 

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