The Next Evolution for BigchainDB Software

BigchainDB testnet, code base, and related IP will be transferred to the IPDB Foundation, who will take over governance functions. Tymlez, Riddle & Code, Ocean Protocol, ScanTrust, Goodchain and other partners have committed resources to maintaining and improving BigchainDB software over time. BigchainDB GmbH (the company) will focus its energies on delivering Ocean Protocol to the community.

BigchainDB is a blockchain database that allows people to issue and control their assets, with fast and flexible querying. From its first prototype three years ago, we have worked with the community to constantly improve the product and its usefulness. BigchainDB has become a versatile tool for private or public metadata-ledgers, an original data extension layer for digital currency, and identity networks. The open-source code has now reached maturity as a stable v2, available for use by anyone under a permissive license (Apache2). It’s currently used as an essential component in projects by Tymlez, Riddle & Code, Ocean Protocol, ScanTrust, GoodChain and many more organizations.

Decentralization is a journey. The BigchainDB software and networks were always envisioned to be decentralized, including governance. Towards that end, BigchainDB launched Inter-Planetary Database (IPDB) Foundation in 2016. IPDB Foundation is a German non-profit organisation focusing on research of governance models in the realization of blockchain technology.

In the time since founding, the wider IPDB community has taken over active management of IPDB Foundation by building a governance model that offers transparency, legitimacy and confronted the reality of data protection law.

We’ve always wanted to shift control of BigchainDB software away from a single for-profit company to something more community-oriented and are pleased to report that BigchainDB GmbH is passing governance of BigchainDB software, testnet, and related intellectual property (IP) to IPDB Foundation. Governance includes maintaining the canonical version of the BigchainDB source code on Github. The IP includes copyright on the software, and a licensing of BigchainDB trademark.

BigchainDB GmbH will focus its energies on delivering Ocean Protocol to the community. Ocean Protocol draws on the full range of learnings from ascribe, IPDB and BigchainDB, and is actively using BigchainDB software as an essential metadata layer.

BigchainDB GmbH will deliver on existing commercial projects until completion, and pause future consulting activities. The company will continue involvement in GoodChain Foundation for social impact.

The testnet and day-to-day maintenance of BigchainDB software will remain active until October 15. After that, the testnet, code base, and related IP will be transferred to the IPDB Foundation, who will take over governance functions. As part of the IPDB community, Tymlez, Riddle & Code, Ocean Protocol, ScanTrust, Goodchain and several other partners have committed resources to maintaining and improving BigchainDB software over time.

As we move towards greater decentralization, this is a significant step towards removing dependence on a single, for-profit company, and is a positive development for the long term usage and stability of BigchainDB software and networks.

The BigchainDB GmbH Team

For more information:

• For future commercial projects looking to use BigchainDB, Ricardo Garcia will be happy to refer service providers (ricardo@bigchaindb.com, +49 162 830 68 13).
• On questions regarding IPDB, including using the testnet or becoming an IPDB consortium member, please contact Joachim Lohkamp (joachim@jolocom.com), head of the IPDB Foundation.