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Bootstrapping the Framework M Open-Source Community

· 4 min read
Castlecraft Team
Castlecraft Team
Creators of Framework M

Over the course of the past week, we completed a major sprint dedicated entirely to Enterprise Trust & Governance. While building cool features is fun, laying a robust legal and organizational foundation is what transforms a side project into a viable open-source ecosystem that enterprises can rely on.

Here is a look at what we've established to bootstrap the Framework M community.

The Move to Apache 2.0​

First and foremost, we transitioned the entire Framework M codebase from the MIT License to the Apache License 2.0.

While MIT is fantastic for small libraries, Apache 2.0 provides an explicit grant of patent rights from contributors to users. This is a critical requirement for many enterprise compliance and legal departments. Moving to Apache 2.0 ensures that businesses can confidently adopt, modify, and distribute Framework M without fear of patent trolling from contributors.

Contributor License Agreements (CLAs)​

To further protect the ecosystem, we established a formal CLA process. Ownership of the repository is held collectively by the community, with Castlecraft acting as a primary contributor.

We wanted the CLA process to be legally sound but frictionless for developers. Instead of relying on third-party bots that block your pull requests right at the finish line, we integrated the signing process directly into GitLab Issues.

Contributors now simply open an issue using our [ICLA] or [CCLA] templates to formally agree to the terms. They then open a Merge Request adding themselves to contributors.json, linking the two together. A repository maintainer verifies the signature matches the MR and clicks merge—clearing the developer to contribute code. No third-party sign-ups required.

The Continuous Release Roadmap​

We published our official ROADMAP.md, which clarifies how we handle the tension between rapid open-source iteration and enterprise stability.

Thanks to Framework M's Ports & Adapters (Hexagonal) architecture, we execute continuous, rolling releases. Because our domains are cleanly separated from infrastructure, downstream enterprise applications can safely consume frequent framework updates without breaking. To support this, our release pipeline now automatically generates Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) using syft so compliance teams can track dependencies instantly.

The New Community Hubs​

A framework is only as good as the community surrounding it. We've officially launched three spaces for collaboration:

  1. GitLab (Bugs & RFCs): We established strict Issue Templates. GitLab Issues are exclusively for tracking actionable bugs. New features and architectural shifts must go through our asynchronous Request For Comments (RFC) process.
  2. Matrix (Real-time Chat): For synchronous collaboration and quick debugging, we established the official Matrix Room—the gold standard for open-source, federated chat.
  3. Apache Answers (Threaded Discussions): For "How do I do X?" questions, showcases, and architecture brainstorming, we launched our new threaded community forum at community.frameworkm.dev.

What's Next?​

We are currently looking for the right founding partners to help us officially launch a Non-Profit organization and fund the first two years of the project.

Until we secure those partners, we are bootstrapping the ecosystem under Castlecraft Ecommerce Pvt. Ltd. Once the founding partners are in place, our desire is to incorporate the "Framework M Foundation" (pending legal name availability) to serve as the official cost center and steward of the core project.

To ensure pure open-source motives, this Foundation's funding model will rely on non-intrusive sources: donations, corporate memberships, sponsorships, and potentially paid certification exams. Because it will act as the cost center paying for infrastructure, the Foundation itself will take ownership of all core assets—including the code repositories, websites, domains, and trademarks.

Discussions regarding the formation of the Foundation, its funding, and potential partnerships are happening right now on our new Community Forum. If you share our vision, we'd love for you to join us there!