# Donor’s Move Away from Bare-Metal Servers Forces Open Source Projects to Seek New Homes
In a turn of events that emphasizes the unstable support for infrastructure in open-source projects, two major free software entities—X.org/Freedesktop.org and Alpine Linux—are in urgent need of new hosting options. This situation arose after their longstanding benefactor, Equinix, announced it will cease its bare-metal server services, pushing these initiatives to act quickly to obtain the necessary resources to keep operating.
## The Consequences of Equinix’s Announcement
Equinix, an international data center and interconnection provider, has recently disclosed its plans to discontinue bare-metal server services. These servers, which offer dedicated physical hardware instead of shared or virtualized solutions, have been essential to the infrastructure for X.org/Freedesktop.org and Alpine Linux. Over the years, these organizations have depended on the donated resources from Equinix, which have supported their substantial bandwidth and development requirements.
However, with Equinix’s resolution to wind down this service, both initiatives are now facing an April deadline to secure alternative hosting arrangements. This unexpected transition has left them contending with the logistical and financial hurdles of relocating their operations.
## Freedesktop.org: A Cornerstone of Open Source
Freedesktop.org, a collaborative nexus for free software desktop technologies, and the X.org Foundation, renowned for its 40-year-old X Window System, are among those affected. Collectively, they furnish essential infrastructure for a variety of open-source software, including Wayland, Mesa, and other foundational technologies.
In a GitLab issue ticket, Benjamin Tissoires, an administrator for Freedesktop.org, outlined the project’s infrastructure requirements. These encompass over 400GB of database storage, nearly 100TB of storage data, and considerable bandwidth needs. Tissoires also pointed out the challenges caused by AI bots scraping their GitLab instance, highlighting the necessity for a content delivery network (CDN) like Cloudflare to alleviate such issues.
While expressing appreciation for Equinix’s previous assistance, Tissoires recognized the urgency of the predicament, remarking, “All things come to an end.” He suggested a new funding model where Freedesktop.org would finance its own servers, supplemented by contributions from sponsors.
## Alpine Linux: The Unheralded Champion of Containers
Alpine Linux, a lightweight and security-oriented Linux distribution extensively used in containers and embedded systems, also faces a crucial moment. The project currently consumes about 800TB of bandwidth monthly and necessitates continuous integration runners and development servers. With the end of Equinix’s support, Alpine Linux is investigating options for co-location space and bare-metal servers, especially in the Netherlands, although it remains open to virtual machines if needed.
Carlo Landmeter, a member of Alpine’s council, characterized the situation as a wake-up call for the project. “Alpine Linux is a type of open-source project that gained popularity without most users being aware of it,” he explained. Although donations and offers of help are starting to come in, Landmeter acknowledged that it is still “early days” in the quest for sustainable solutions.
## A Wider Issue in Open Source Sustainability
The difficulties encountered by Freedesktop.org and Alpine Linux are not isolated. They illustrate a recurring challenge within the open-source community: the disparity between a project’s significance and the level of financial and infrastructural backing it receives. Numerous foundational open-source initiatives function on modest budgets, depending on the goodwill of donors and volunteers to maintain their operations.
This imbalance has been underscored in the past, notably during the Heartbleed vulnerability crisis, which revealed the underfunding of OpenSSL despite its vital role in internet security. The current scenario with Equinix serves as yet another reminder of the need for more solid and sustainable funding models for open-source projects.
## The Way Forward
As the April deadline approaches, both Freedesktop.org and Alpine Linux are mobilizing their communities for support. They are looking for donations, sponsorships, and partnerships to secure the resources required to continue their work. These efforts present an opportunity for individuals and organizations that benefit from open-source software to give back and help ensure the enduring viability of these projects.
For the time being, the future of these critical open-source efforts hangs in the balance. Whether through community contributions, corporate sponsorships, or new funding frameworks, the hope is that these initiatives will find the backing they need to navigate this challenge and continue making invaluable contributions to the software ecosystem.
As this story unfolds, it acts as a rallying cry for the broader tech community to acknowledge the importance of supporting the infrastructure that sustains open-source innovation.
