Today, we are announcing that the Micronaut framework is applying to join the Commonhaus Foundation. This is an exciting new step in the Micronaut project’s journey, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to continue innovating with our community under the Commonhaus Foundation banner.

As is customary at the turn of a new year, we’d like to spend some time revisiting the path we’ve taken, and looking to the horizon towards the potential that our future holds.

Where We’ve Been

The Micronaut framework was first conceived at Object Computing in 2017 at a time when runtime environments were evolving in a way that made utilizing existing JVM frameworks difficult. Innovations in Cloud runtime options aimed towards enabling microservice architecture designs and a growing emphasis on IIoT/Edge Computing favored technologies with fast startup times, and low resource consumption. Graeme Rocher, the creator of Grails, began to envision new approaches to building software for the JVM which maintain the developer and productivity-friendly features in existing tools like Spring and Jakarta EE but also introduce runtime-efficient innovations like ahead-of-time compilation as well as cloud-native integration features including first-class support for serverless computing.

We open-sourced and released the first version of Micronaut in 2018 to an ecosystem that was ready for innovation and change, and an enthusiastic and supportive community quickly formed. In 2020, we recognized a growing need to balance the interests from the Micronaut community and contributing organizations and established the Micronaut Foundation as a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring technical innovation and advancement of the Micronaut framework as a free and open public-use software development toolkit for a growing global community. In 2023, the Foundation was further strengthened via a partnership with the Unity Foundation.

Since its introduction, the framework has been widely successful. It is in active use by large corporations, small companies, and private individuals alike, and has welcomed more than 900 community contributors to the project. Oracle supports the project as an engineering partner, while other companies, such as HiveMQ, Microstream, Safri.Net, and Vizor, have provided financial support for the project.

Long-lasting and impactful open-source software is not created in a vacuum. It also isn’t the result of a single individual or sponsor. Long-lasting open-source technology is the result of a complex network of individuals, organizations, and projects all contributing towards the evolution of our shared technical landscape and an evergreen set of visions on what is possible and what is coming next. Looking toward the future, the next phase of the Micronaut framework must allow for our community to continue to define the direction of the project and proceed with agility and autonomy, while also providing benefits that come from the collaboration of multiple open-source projects including the leveraging of shared resources that allow for long-term project sustainment.

Why the Commonhaus Foundation?

During the evaluation of several new potential homes for the Micronaut Framework, the community identified the Commonhaus Foundation as the one that aligns best with the core values of the Micronaut community. Commonhaus’ guiding principles of honoring the project and community identity, offering guidance and support without imposing mandates, maintaining transparency in all of their actions, and encouraging long-term thinking for sustained project impact, will ensure the future growth and success of the Micronaut Framework while preserving the project’s autonomy and established governance structures.

Joining Commonhaus will continue to provide a neutral ground for the framework, making it accessible to all interested organizations and contributors. If we are accepted into the Commonhaus Foundation, we look forward to contributing our experience and capabilities towards the ecosystem that Commonhaus provides for all of the projects under its umbrella.

What’s Next?

Our intention is that this move will empower even more individuals and organizations to join the Micronaut project and be actively involved in steering its future. It will also allow for some changes in how the project can be supported, whether financially or through other resources and contributions. Existing contributors need not worry either. On the contrary, joining a new multi-project non-profit Foundation translates to governance practices better documented and a decision-making framework aligned with the Commonhaus Foundation’s decision-making process. We are confident that under the Commonhaus Foundation banner, the Micronaut framework will be able to reach new heights by working with an even broader community.

Thank You

We are so grateful to all of the individuals and organizations that have helped Micronaut contribute towards the continued innovation of the JVM ecosystem. In particular, we would like to thank:

• Object Computing, whose innovative spirit and love for open-source software and systems understood and believed in the potential of the Micronaut framework, and whose financial and organizational investments allowed for the first seeds of the project to take root and grow.
• The Micronaut and Unity Foundations, including all those from the broader technology community who served on their Technology Advisory Boards over the years advising on the direction and focus of the continued evolution of the Micronaut framework.
• Oracle, who saw the promise in the cloud-centered features and integrations within the Micronaut framework and helped the project scale-up its impact to brand new heights through the contribution of engineering expertise.
• All of the countless individuals and organizations that contributed to the furtherance of the Micronaut framework through direct financial support, sponsorship of key integrations or features, and opportunities to share and expand to new communities through invitations to present at conferences or on webinars.

Most importantly, we would like to thank YOU – our incredible community. Every time you identify a new issue, contribute towards a fix or a new feature, help imagine new paths forward, document what has been built, leverage the Micronaut framework to build your solutions, and share with the world what you’ve learned, you remind us of the larger purpose around why we continue to build and grow. We know that as we embark on the next chapter of our journey, you all will continue your support as you have done so far. Thank you.