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This May marks the fifth annual Maintainer Month, and there are lots of treats in store: new badges, special discounts, events with experts, and more.
Open source software (OSS) is everywhere—it’s the lifeblood of the modern software ecosystem. Ninety percent of companies use open source1, 97% of codebases contain open source2, 70-90% of the code within commercial tools comes from open source3, and the value of OSS globally is estimated to be $8.8 trillion4. At GitHub, we love open source—and we’re so honored to host so much open source code that we famously preserved it in the Arctic.
But in the same way that your office microwave doesn’t just magically get clean and your favorite park doesn’t have self-mowing grass, open source software doesn’t just happen.
We’re surrounded by human-maintained infrastructure and resources that, in our busy lives, can be easy to take for granted. This is why we started Maintainer Month—a time to thank the open source software maintainers that keep projects healthy. This May marks the fifth annual Maintainer Month, and there are lots of treats in store: new badges, special discounts, events with experts, and more. In addition to the fact that the device you’re reading this on functions–thanks, open source maintainers!
There are over 25 events and livestreams scheduled during Maintainer Month, so head on over to the schedule to see them all or add your own!
Everyone is welcome at these events—whether or not you’re ready to call yourself a software maintainer. Here are a couple of our favorites, since they tackle thorny issues:
This year, we’re launching the new Maintainer Month Partner Pack—a bundle of perks, tools, and resources from organizations that truly believe in open source. Think of it as a care package for the folks behind our digital infrastructure.
Here’s just a taste of what’s inside (and it’s available to all maintainers):
…and we’ll be adding more throughout May.
👉 See all current offers and partners here.
Some partners are offering extra perks for members of our private Maintainer Community—a vetted space to connect, share, and support each other. If you maintain an open source project, you can request to join our Maintainer Community.
Security is kind of a big deal, which is why you hear about it all the time. This is why we’re excited to launch new security guidance on opensource.guide to help maintainers strengthen the trust and resilience of their open source projects. We’ve pulled together practical advice and tools you can start using right away to make your project safer for everyone who relies on it. Because building great open source software isn’t just about what your project does—it’s about how you protect the people who use it.
The new Open Source Guide on Security Best Practices for Your Project will walk you through the basic considerations for software security, including how to:
You don’t have to secure your project alone—we’re here to support you. The GitHub Secure Open Source Fund provides a combination of funding, training sessions with experts, and access to researchers and community to get your project more secure. We’re completely serious, we will give you money ($10K) to improve your security practices!
Apply to the GitHub Secure Open Source Fund >
Ready to boost your project’s defenses—and your own skills?
This May, take the Maintainer Month Security Challenge, which features three hands-on GitHub security skills while allowing you to snag a voucher for GitHub Advanced Security certification (hello, career boost!).
In just a few hours, you’ll pick up real techniques to protect your project—and show the world you’re serious about security. Let’s build a safer open source together.
Read more about what’s happening with open source.
1 GitHub. 2022. “Octoverse 2022: The state of open source software.” https://octoverse.github.com/2022/. & OpenUK. 2021. “State of Open: The UK in 2021.” https://openuk.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/openuk-state-of-open_final-version.pdf.
2 Blackduck. 2025. “Six takeaways from the 2025 “Open Source Security and Risk Analysis” report.” https://www.blackduck.com/blog/open-source-trends-ossra-report.html.
3 The Linux Foundation. 2022. “A Summary of Census II: Open Source Software Application Libraries the World Depends On.” https://www.linuxfoundation.org/blog/blog/a-summary-of-census-ii-open-source-software-application-libraries-the-world-depends-on. & Intel. 2025. “The Careful Consumption of Open Source Software.” https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/guide/the-careful-consumption-of-open-source-software.htm.
4 Harvard Business School. 2024. “The Value of Open Source Software.” https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4693148.
