Open source projects thrive because of the people and institutions that nurture them behind the scenes—empowering innovation, collaboration, and digital freedom. One impactful institution is the Oregon State University Open Source Lab (OSL). The Drupal community owes much of our success and growth to the Open Source Lab when they supported the project in 2005 by hosting our servers.
Today, OSL needs our support.
About the Open Source Lab
The Oregon State University Open Source Lab is a nonprofit organization with a powerful legacy in the open source ecosystem. For years, it has provided secure, reliable hosting services to some of the most widely used and mission-critical open source projects like Apache, CentOS, Debian, Django, Docker, Eclipse, Mozilla Firefox, GNOME, Go, KDE, Node.JS, OpenBSD, OpenSSL, postgreSQL, Rust, sqlite, The Tor Project, Yum, and yes, Drupal.
The Open Source Lab helped shape Drupal’s journey
In 2005, when a surge of interest melted down the shared server that was being used by Dries to host Drupal.org, Sun Microsystems donated a server but there was nowhere to host it. Open Source Lab stepped forward providing managed data center services, offering not only hosting but also long-term support through its student mentorship model. This commitment shaped the careers of many open source leaders, including former Drupal Association Infrastructure Manager Rudy Grigar and current Infrastructure Manager and Tag1 CTO Narayan Newton, both Open Source Lab alums.
While the Drupal Association has now moved to a hybrid cloud architecture, we still operate some critical infrastructure at the Open Source Lab, including pre-production environments, mail transport, and legacy systems that are still mid-migration, and will be repurposed for things like our testing infrastructure. It is our hope for Drupal to continue to be present at the Open Source Lab for years to come.
A Critical Moment for the Open Source Lab
In recent years, the Open Source Lab has faced a steady decline in corporate donations, leading to an operational deficit. Today the Open Source Lab is under threat, placing its future in jeopardy.
Unless they secure $250,000 dollars in commitments by 14 May 2025 they will have to close their doors.
If the Open Source Lab shuts down, we lose a backbone of the open source world and a value-driven infrastructure provider. It would ripple across dozens of projects and thousands of contributors, setting back years of progress and community building.
Together, we can keep the Open Source Lab alive
This is an opportunity for all of us to come together to support an unsung pillar of open source.
Here’s how you can help:
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Your donations are vital to keep this precious resource for the public good open. Consider making a donation to support the Open Source Lab’s future. Donate today.
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If you are able to make a major gift, you can also reach out to: donations@osuosl.org
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Help raise awareness by sharing this post within your network and with anyone you think could help support Open Source Lab.
The Open Source Lab has played an important role in supporting the open source community, now it’s our turn to give back. By contributing today, you’re helping secure the future of open source innovation and sustaining essential digital infrastructure. It's time to come together to ensure the Open Source Lab’s legacy continues to thrive.