The digital world, as we know it, is built on a foundation that many of us take for granted: open source infrastructure. From the smallest startup to the largest multinational corporation, nearly every modern technological system relies on a vast network of public package repositories. These services, such as PyPI for Python, crates.io for Rust, and npm for JavaScript, are the digital commons shared resources that are essential for innovation and development. However, a recent joint statement from the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) and the stewards of these critical services is sounding an alarm. They are highlighting a fundamental and often overlooked truth: open infrastructure isn’t free to maintain, and the current model of support is unsustainable.
A Tidal Wave of Automation
The challenge facing these repositories is a direct result of their own success. Initially, they were designed to serve individual developers and small teams. But the world has changed. The majority of their traffic now comes not from human users but from automated systems operating at a colossal scale.
Consider the typical software development lifecycle today. A developer commits code, triggering a CI/CD pipeline that automatically downloads hundreds of dependencies from a public repository. A security team runs a large-scale dependency scanner to check for vulnerabilities, downloading every version of a popular package. A developer working with modern containerization tools spins up an ephemeral container build, pulling countless packages for a one-time use.
Each of these automated processes contributes to a massive, machine-driven demand on the infrastructure. This demand has been steadily growing for years, but a new force is now accelerating the problem: generative and agentic AI. As these powerful AI models become more integrated into software development, they are creating a new “explosion of machine-driven, often wasteful automated usage.” This trend is pushing the existing infrastructure to its limits, creating a future that, while not yet a crisis, is rapidly heading in that direction.
The Problem with “Free”
The common misconception is that because open source software is free to use, the infrastructure that hosts it is also free to run. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The people who maintain these services the core developers, system administrators, and security experts don’t work for free. The servers that host billions of downloads each month aren’t free. The security audits and operational expenses required to keep the ecosystem safe aren’t free.
So, who pays for all of this? The OpenSSF statement reveals a stark reality: the financial burden is shouldered by a very small number of benefactors.
Some repositories, like Maven Central (backed by Sonatype), npm (backed by GitHub), and NuGet (backed by Microsoft), are supported by commercial vendors. While this model provides stability, it also means a handful of corporations control a key part of the public technology stack.
Other services are run by non-profit foundations that rely on a fragile patchwork of grants, donations, and sponsorships. Their ability to operate is dependent on the generosity of a few companies and individuals who understand the value of a shared digital commons.
The underlying pattern is the same in both scenarios: a handful of organizations absorb the vast majority of infrastructure costs, while the overwhelming majority of users especially the large commercial entities that generate the most demand and extract significant economic value from the open source ecosystem consume these services without contributing to their sustainability. They are, in essence, enjoying a “free lunch” on a massive scale.
A Call for Sustainable Stewardship
This model is not sustainable. As automated usage skyrockets, the costs of maintaining these services will only continue to rise. Relying on the generosity of a few benefactors is a short-term solution for a long-term problem. If this trend continues, the open source community could face a critical point where the infrastructure can no longer keep up with demand, leading to performance issues, security vulnerabilities, or even service disruptions.
The OpenSSF’s joint statement is more than just a warning; it’s a call to action. It urges the entire software community to adopt a model of sustainable stewardship. This means moving away from the mindset of “free” and embracing a shared responsibility for the health and longevity of the infrastructure we all depend on.
This is not a call for developers to start paying for every package they download. Instead, it’s a plea for the large-scale commercial consumers the companies building multi-billion dollar businesses on the back of open source to contribute their fair share. This could be through direct funding, sponsoring development teams, or investing in the non-profit foundations that keep these services running.
The open source ecosystem is a triumph of collaboration and shared resources. But for it to continue thriving, we must acknowledge that its foundation has a cost. The time has come to stop viewing open infrastructure as a limitless, free resource and start treating it as the critical, shared public good that it is. Our digital future depends on it.
Ref. https://openssf.org/