Cardano Open Source

Cardano Open Source at Intersect

Intersect coordinates open source governance and funding for the Cardano ecosystem through two bodies: the Open Source Committee (OSC) and the Open Source Office (OSO).

The OSC is an elected committee of intersect members that sets policy, defines contribution standards, manages the Paid Open Source Model, and handles dispute resolution.

The OSC's stated goal is a Cardano Open Source Project (COSP) that is community-led, with no single entity dominating its development.

The OSO is the operational arm that manages Intersect-maintained repositories and oversees the development lifecycle processes defined by the OSC.

Funding Model

Intersect has developed the Paid Open Source Model to address the sustainability problem common to open-source projects: critical infrastructure maintained by unpaid volunteers. Key components include:

• Maintainer Retainer Program: long-term financial support for contributors maintaining critical repositories
• The Developer Advocate Program: designed to strengthen the bridge between the Cardano open-source ecosystem and its global developer community.
• The Tooling Sustainability Program: designed to fund and support critical open-source tools that the Cardano ecosystem depends on
• Travel and Events Program: allows OSC members to be reimbursed for expenses incurred attending Cardano and other open source events.

Funding flows through Cardano's on-chain treasury, with proposals subject to DRep ratification.

Governance and Reporting

OSC decisions are documented and publicly available. Funding is linked to measurable delivery milestones, with monthly repository reports, program-level milestone tracking, and public meeting minutes published on an ongoing basis.

Working Groups

Two working groups are currently active under the OSC: the Developer Experience Working Group and the DevEx Innovation Working Group. These groups surface ecosystem needs and feed recommendations back into OSC decision-making.