Why Learn the History of Open Source?
To fully understand today’s open source trends, it is useful to consider the history of open source adoption. Since 2019, OpenLogic has been surveying open source users around the world to learn what open source software and strategies they are deploying. From these surveys, we have published reports that include survey data as well as analysis on top technologies, market trends, support challenges, and more.
The history of open source adoption, as told through these reports, may offer clues as to where OSS is headed in the future.
In this resource, we recap the essential history of open source adoption based on findings from our previous State of Open Source reports.
Read along or jump to the section that interests you most:
Get the Latest Open Source Report
The latest report is the 2025 State of Open Source Report. Download the free report today and watch the on-demand webinar for a discussion of key insights.
Archive of Past Open Source Reports
2024 State of Open Source Report
From early-stage startups to the largest global enterprises, open source adoption is on the rise. Organizations in every corner of the globe are deploying open source — operating systems, cloud-native software and containers, databases, security tools, and more — to speed innovation and move their businesses forward.
About the Report
Based on a global survey created in partnership with the Open Source Initiative (OSI) and the Eclipse Foundation, the 2024 State of Open Source Report offers critical insights and analysis around:
- What drove OSS adoption in the past year vs. previous years
- Which technologies saw increased usage and which declined
- Security and support challenges that teams working with open source encounter
- Which business-critical tools are receiving the most investment
- The industries that are the most mature in terms of open source usage
2023 State of Open Source Report
Open source software is everywhere — it’s deeply embedded in our most critical IT infrastructure and fuels the digital economy. From frameworks and databases to DevOps tools and AI/ML/DL technologies, open source is evolving at a rapid pace, backed by the support of vibrant communities.
Keeping up with the ever-expanding set of open source technologies, however, can be daunting. In order to fully realize the potential of OSS, companies need to be strategic and clear-eyed about where open source is headed in 2023 and beyond.
About the Report
The 2023 State of Open Source Report is a collaboration between OpenLogic by Perforce and the Open Source Initiative (OSI). The report details open source software usage, adoption, and challenges based on anonymous survey responses from open source users across all eight global regions, working in 20+ industries, for organizations of all sizes.
Each page of the State of Open Source Report is packed with the latest data on the top open source technologies and trends — all accompanied by expert insights and analysis.
2022 State of Open Source Report
Open source software underpins the IT infrastructure that powers the digital economy – and the pace at which organizations are expanding their use of OSS is only continuing to grow.
So how can teams keep track of a rapidly expanding set of open source technologies, and ensure their companies are fully realizing the benefits of open source software in 2022 and beyond?
About the Report
In our 2022 State of Open Source Report, a collaboration between OpenLogic by Perforce and the Open Source Initiative (OSI), we present data from over 2600 open source users spanning all industries, organization sizes, and regions.
Each page is packed with the latest data on the top open source technologies and trends – all accompanied by expert insights and analysis.
2021 State of Open Source Report
Get Insight Into Top Open Source Trends
Keeping up with trends across the full breadth of open source packages can be a tall task. That's why we put together our new Open Source Trend Report series.
In our first 2021 Open Source Trend Report, we show the results of two concurrent surveys: The first, a survey of our Enterprise Architects, looks at how our team views operating systems, data technologies, and cloud technologies in terms of maturity and importance to modern system development.
The second, a public survey, ranks the top contenders to “replace” CentOS, the popularity of data-mesh technologies, and finally, development priorities for 2021.
Read This Report to Learn:
- Which open source data technologies are on the rise, and which ones are on the decline
- The open source cloud technologies most important to modern system design
- Projections regarding the future of the open source operating system landscape
- The most-used data mesh technologies, and why they’re important
- Front-runners to “replace” CentOS, and why that need may be overhyped
- The top development priorities for teams in 2021
2020 State of Open Source Report
This year has accelerated our reliance on the software technology that drives human interaction. The need for digital transformation, cloud native infrastructure, and secure, functional code has never been more pronounced. Our gadgets, once novel ways to interact outside of normal social settings, have, seemingly overnight, become our primary means of work, education, and even socialization.
So what role does open source software play in this simultaneously disruptive and transformative year, and what role will it play in 2021 and beyond?
About the 2020 Open Source Report
The 2020 Open Source Report from OpenLogic provides data on the most popular open source technologies used today, and sheds light on the barriers and benefits teams experience when adopting open source technologies.
This report is a must-read for anybody working with, or considering, open source software for their organization.
The free report includes:
- Open source technology, language, and adoption rates.
- Top considerations for choosing open source software.
- Common barriers and issues in open source technologies.
- Expert analysis and projections for open source in 2020 and beyond.
- And more!
State of Open Source in 2020
The 2020 Open Source Report also includes detailed analysis of the state of open source in 2020 from Perforce CTO, Rod Cope, and Perforce Chief Architect, Justin Reock.
Read the report for their analysis on the big trends in open source, including automation and orchestration, service mesh adoption, and projections for open source in 2020 and beyond.
Download the Open Source Report
We hope that the insights you gain from the 2020 Open Source Report will help guide your thinking as the landscape continues to shift. In the large and expanding universe that open source has become, the more tools we have to navigate, the more effective we will remain in our work, education, and craft.
2019 State of Open Source Report
Open source software (OSS) is ideal for accelerating innovation, increasing agility, and minimizing costs. Today, the value of global OSS installations measures $57 billion. And this number is growing rapidly, especially as more companies take advantage of enterprise-level support options.
The 2019 Open Source Support Report provides OSS adoption use cases, along with insights into current and future OSS trends, such as:
- Application performance with OSS microservices.
- GDPR compliance.
- Oracle Java SE and OpenJDK considerations.
- Permissive versus non-permissive licensing.
- Global enterprise support for OSS.
Deploy Open Source Confidently With OpenLogic
The team is proud to bring you insights on the ever-changing history of open source each year. But the best way to succeed with open source is with the help of our experts. We offer technical support provided directly by Enterprise Architects with 15+ years of experience, and a full suite of professional services including migration planning and training.