For instance, think about GitHub stars. Sure, Terraform nonetheless leads comfortably (round 45,000 to OpenTofu’s 23,000), however that hole hides the true motion: group engagement. Since its secure launch in January 2024, OpenTofu practically tripled its contributor base to greater than 160. Every launch attracts a vibrant crowd. Model 1.9 noticed 49 contributors submit over 200 pull requests (PRs). Terraform, against this, entered 2024 with an enormous historic contributor base (greater than 1,800 whole) however far much less new blood. After HashiCorp’s shift to the Enterprise Supply License (BSL), group contributions to Terraform plummeted: solely ~9% of pull requests got here from the group within the month of the license change, down from 21% prior. A yr later, Terraform’s GitHub exercise stays strong in sheer quantity (over 34,000 commits whole versus OpenTofu’s ~32,500), however these commits are largely from HashiCorp’s personal engineers somewhat than a dedicated, buzzing group that builds OpenTofu.
OpenTofu’s problem tracker exemplifies open supply at its collaborative finest. In a single four-month interval in late 2024, customers opened over 150 points and submitted greater than 200 pull requests. Nor have points lingered—the group has shortly rallied with options. Terraform, in the meantime, nonetheless sees loads of points opened, however the dialogue is muted, largely managed internally by HashiCorp workers (and shortly, those self same workers inside IBM). The colourful collaboration that after marked Terraform now thrives inside OpenTofu.
Vibrant group engagement
Stars on GitHub point out reputation, however actual group energy reveals up in day-to-day interactions. OpenTofu’s Slack workspace and GitHub Discussions have turn into hubs of enthusiastic dialogue and speedy suggestions. It’s paying homage to basic open supply initiatives: inclusive, full of life, and genuinely responsive. Terraform’s boards, in distinction, really feel quiet because the fork.
