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Pydio is Open Source to the Core

We are committed to the open-source ethos. And though we now also develop paid enterprise versions of our software, that commitment has never wavered. Everything we do is built on an open core.

We are committed to the open-source ethos. And though we now also develop paid enterprise versions of our software, that commitment has never wavered. Everything we do is built on an open core.

Ever since the early days, back in 2010, before the advent of file-sharing tools like Dropbox, our founder Charles du Jeu set about creating a tool to help musicians share large files and collaborate on projects, and AjaXplorer was born. Two years later, driven by customer demand, Charles and the other founders launched a business to support businesses who wanted to use AjaXplorer for professional and governmental applications. Over the years, the name has changed, the architecture has evolved, and thousands of organizations now use the product to share and collaborate securely. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to the open-source community.

Cells Home, our entry-level platform meant for individual use, is still a free download. Its code is open (AGPLv3), and it will always be. It provides all the tools needed for personal use without any restrictions on users or storage.

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But how can we combine community with profitability? How can a “free” model also be “sustainable”? How do you make sure that a core team of motivated developers properly maintains the software?

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The answer is easy. We asked business users, who can afford business-critical tools, to pay. We built Cells Enterprise, which adds modules to Cells Home that individual users don’t require, including functionality like SSO, compliance features, and radical scalability. But both products share the same open-core codebase and the same level of care and attention to detail. This strategy has allowed us to grow revenue while keeping quality high in both Home and Enterprise versions. The Home edition is even available to businesses and organizations who don’t feel they need the enterprise edition's added functionality, automation, and scalability.

But being “open source” isn’t just a matter of altruism. Because we are the “secure” sharing and collaboration platform, a key benefit of being open core is that multiple developers regularly audit our source code for security both in terms of privacy (no spy in the code) and vulnerabilities (that always turn up in any software). This base of motivated testers is a key asset in our constant efforts to make Pydio Cells as secure as possible.

For us, open-source isn’t a question or an issue. It’s an identity, and that identity has been central to the evolution and success of Cells. We are and will remain open-source to the core.

Check out our codebase on Github!

Yours,

The Pydio Team

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