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Soft launch of open-source code platform for government

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Why This Matters

The launch of the open-source code platform for the Dutch government marks a significant step towards digital sovereignty and collaborative software development within the public sector. By adopting a fully self-hosted, European alternative to popular platforms like GitHub, it aims to enhance transparency, security, and control over government digital assets. This initiative could influence other governments to prioritize open-source solutions for greater independence and innovation.

Key Takeaways

The code.overheid.nl (Dutch) platform is now live. It is the government-wide code platform for publishing and developing open-source software. The platform is fully self-hosted and supports digital sovereignty.

For now, this is a pilot using Forgejo, an open-source, European, and sovereign alternative to GitHub and GitLab. Not all government organisations can use the platform yet. Developers are invited to contribute, with the aim of eventually growing it into a shared Git platform for government bodies.

Get involved

The code platform is initiated by the Open Source Program Office at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), in collaboration with DAWO (SSC-ICT), Opensourcewerken (Dutch), and developer.overheid.nl. Interested in joining? Please email [email protected].

Further information is available in Dutch, in the blog ‘We gaan samen code.overheid.nl bouwen’ (‘We’re building code.overheid.nl together’) on developer.overheid.nl.