For the past two decades, Hibernate, a cornerstone of Java data persistence, has thrived under the stewardship of JBoss and Red Hat. Today, the project announces a significant shift: its move to the Commonhaus Foundation, a neutral ground for open-source projects.
Why the Move?
As discussed in the announcement, while Red Hat’s support has been instrumental in Hibernate’s success, the project team now requires, to continue to thrive, a “community-first” model that respects project autonomy, ensuring governance is effective without being restrictive.
This change includes all Hibernate subprojects: ORM, Validator, Reactive, Search, and Tools. The Commonhaus Foundation guarantees that all these projects will remain open source indefinitely.
Besides, Hibernate won’t be alone.
The following projects are now part of the Foundation:
- Jackson: The leading library for processing JSON data in Java. It provides fast and versatile tools for working with JSON, making data exchange a breeze.
- JBang: JBang lets you run Java applications as scripts, eliminating the need for project setup or complex build configurations. Perfect for quick experiments, prototypes, and handy utility scripts. More about JBang here: JBang: Create Java scripts like a pro
- JReleaser: JReleaser simplifies packaging and distributing your Java projects across various platforms. It integrates seamlessly with Maven, Gradle, and other build tools, streamlining your releases from changelogs to deployment.
- Morphia: Build a bridge between Java and MongoDB. Morphia acts as a lightweight type-safe mapping library, making it easier to work with MongoDB documents using Java.
- OpenRewrite: OpenRewrite offers safe and scalable code transformations to modernize and maintain your Java applications.
Opening the Doors to Wider Participation
The Commonhaus Foundation, known for its innovative governance model, provides the perfect platform for this transition. Here, projects like Hibernate govern themselves, paving the way for broader participation from the Java community.
What is the Commonhaus Foundation?
The Commonhaus Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the long-term sustainability of open source projects. It offers several key benefits:
- Neutral Home: Commonhaus provides a neutral space for project governance, fostering a sense of independence and encouraging broader participation.
- Minimal Governance: Unlike some foundations with extensive structures, Commonhaus allows projects to maintain their existing governance models, minimizing disruption.
- Fiscal Sponsorship: The foundation offers financial support and infrastructure, ensuring project stability and growth.
What Sets Commonhaus Apart?
- Developer-Centric: Commonhaus prioritizes the needs of developers and their projects, fostering a grassroots-oriented approach.
- Focus on Sustainability: Proactive succession planning and a commitment to long-term viability are core principles.
- Flexibility: Commonhaus supports a wider range of open-source licenses and respects established project branding.
Why Now?
This move signifies a shift towards a more open and collaborative future for Hibernate. Red Hat acknowledges the need to relinquish some control to make space for a diverse range of contributors.
The Future is Bright
The Hibernate team remains dedicated to delivering cutting-edge data persistence solutions. With this move to the Commonhaus Foundation, they aim to attract new ideas and talent, ensuring Hibernate’s continued success as the go-to framework for data management in the Java world.
Stay Involved!
The call for participation is clear. If you have ideas or want to contribute to the future of Hibernate, the team encourages you to reach out and get involved through the usual channels.
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