Governments around the world increasingly rely on Open Source software to power digital services that millions of people depend on every day. From national websites to public health systems, much of this infrastructure is built on tools that are freely available yet maintained by a small number of contributors with limited support. As Dries Buytaert, founder of Drupal, argues in his recent blog post, this growing dependency makes it urgent for governments to move from passive use to active contribution. The idea is not to replace the open, volunteer-driven nature of these projects but to ensure they are resilient, well-maintained, and able to serve the public reliably over time.
Dries outlines a compelling evolution of Open Source: starting with volunteers, expanding with commercial sponsorship, and now entering a phase where government stewardship is necessary. He points to examples like Denmark's national plan to adopt Open Source and Germany's investment through its Sovereign Tech Fund as signs of progress. Yet most governments still contribute very little, even when their digital infrastructure depends heavily on these projects. This imbalance leaves essential services vulnerable and places too much pressure on a small group of maintainers. The sustainability of the software that supports the public sector cannot be left to goodwill alone.
What is needed now is a shift in mindset and policy. Governments already invest in roads, schools, and utilities as part of their public mandate. Digital infrastructure should be treated the same way. Dries’s call to action is timely and clear: fund the people and projects that hold up the systems we rely on. Open Source has become public infrastructure in everything but name. It is time we support it with the seriousness and structure that public infrastructure requires.
INTERVIEW
DISCOVER DRUPAL
- Drupal AI Initiative Reaches $175,000 with 10 New Supporting Makers
- CiviCRM Now Offered on DrupalForge.org for Instant Site Deployment
- Drupal Association Invites Participation in 2025 Business Survey
- MCP Drupal Module 1.2.0-alpha1 Released: Brings Low-Code LLM Integration to Drupal
- Drupal AI Initiative Secures $300K and Announces 15 Makers to Drive AI Development
- Dries Buytaert Urges Governments to Fund Open Source as Essential Digital Infrastructure
EVENTS
- DrupalCamp Burkina Faso 2026 Scheduled for April in Ouagadougou
- Drupalers Association Pune Launches Fundraiser to Support DrupalCamp Pune 2025
- Booth Sponsorships Open for DrupalCon Vienna 2025
- Pacific Northwest Drupal Summit 2025 Session Schedule Released
ORGANISATION NEWS
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