Block Open Source

Introducing Block Open Source

Published on Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Block

Block

Introducing Block Open Source

Today, we’re excited to announce the official launch of Block’s Open Source Program Office (OSPO). This marks a significant milestone in our journey as an open source company and reflects our commitment to giving back to the communities that power our technology.

Why an OSPO?

Block has always been a heavy user of open source software. From our mobile apps built with Kotlin and Swift to our backend services running on Linux, open source is fundamental to everything we build.

But using open source isn’t enough. We believe companies that benefit from open source have a responsibility to contribute back—not just code, but also time, resources, and leadership.

The OSPO formalizes that commitment. It’s our way of ensuring that open source isn’t just something we do occasionally, but a core part of how we operate.

What the OSPO Does

Our Open Source Program Office has several key responsibilities:

Strategy and Governance

We help teams across Block make informed decisions about open source:

  • When to open source a project
  • Which license to choose
  • How to build and maintain communities
  • How to measure success

Community Engagement

We facilitate Block’s participation in open source communities:

  • Supporting employees who contribute to external projects
  • Building relationships with foundations and other organizations
  • Organizing events and sponsorships
  • Representing Block in open source discussions

Project Support

We provide resources and expertise to Block’s open source projects:

  • Infrastructure and tooling
  • Documentation and marketing
  • Community management
  • Security and compliance

Education and Advocacy

We help Block engineers become better open source citizens:

  • Training on open source best practices
  • Guidelines for contributing to external projects
  • Resources for starting new open source projects
  • Internal advocacy for open source values

Our Open Source Philosophy

The OSPO is guided by several core principles:

Community First

Successful open source projects are built on healthy communities. We prioritize community building over feature development, and we measure success by the strength and diversity of our contributor base.

Transparency

We believe in working in the open. Our development happens in public repositories, our roadmaps are shared openly, and our decision-making processes are transparent.

Sustainability

Open source maintainers shouldn’t burn out. We’re committed to sustainable practices that support long-term project health, including:

  • Adequate resourcing for maintenance
  • Clear governance structures
  • Succession planning
  • Support for maintainer well-being

Collaboration

We’re better together. We actively seek partnerships with other companies, foundations, and communities to advance shared goals.

Our Open Source Portfolio

Block maintains dozens of open source projects across various domains:

Mobile Development

  • OkHttp - An HTTP client for Android and Java applications
  • Retrofit - A type-safe HTTP client for Android and Java
  • Moshi - A modern JSON library for Android and Java
  • Workflow - A library for building complex, interactive apps

Infrastructure

  • Protoparser - A parser for Protocol Buffer schemas
  • Tape - A collection of queue-related classes for Android and Java

Bitcoin and Web5

And many more across different technology stacks and use cases.

Recent Initiatives

The OSPO has already launched several initiatives:

goose

Our newest project, goose, is an open source AI agent framework. It represents our vision for transparent, controllable AI that empowers developers.

Foundation Memberships

We’ve joined several important open source foundations:

Policy Work

We’re launching an Open Source Policy Lab to address challenges around:

  • Licensing and compliance
  • Security and supply chain
  • Sustainability and funding
  • Governance and standards

Get Involved

The OSPO is a resource for everyone at Block who works with open source. Here’s how you can engage:

For Block Employees

  • Contribute to external projects - We support and encourage contributions to the open source projects you use
  • Start new projects - Have an idea for an open source project? We can help you launch it
  • Join working groups - Participate in discussions about open source strategy and policy
  • Attend events - We organize internal events, workshops, and training sessions

For the Community

  • Contribute to our projects - We welcome contributions to any of Block’s open source projects
  • Share feedback - Tell us what we’re doing well and where we can improve
  • Collaborate - Interested in partnering on open source initiatives? Let’s talk
  • Stay connected - Follow our blog and social media for updates

Measuring Success

We’re committed to transparency about our open source impact. We’ll regularly share metrics including:

  • Number of active open source projects
  • Contributor diversity and growth
  • Community health indicators
  • Employee participation in open source
  • Impact on the broader ecosystem

Looking Ahead

This is just the beginning. Over the coming months, we’ll be:

  • Expanding our project portfolio
  • Deepening our community engagement
  • Advancing open source policy
  • Supporting more employees in their open source work
  • Building partnerships across the ecosystem

Join Us

Whether you’re a Block employee looking to get involved in open source, a community member interested in our projects, or an organization looking to collaborate, we’d love to hear from you.

Visit block.xyz/open-source to learn more, or reach out to us at opensource@block.xyz.

The future of technology is open. Let’s build it together.

Want to work on open source at Block? Check out our open positions.