Open sourcing a library: how hard can that be? by Johan Hutting

Publishing to Maven Central is complex but provides important security benefits through domain verification, GPG signing, and vulnerability scanning

When open sourcing a library, carefully consider:

• License choice and impact on users
• Documentation needs (Javadoc, examples, architectural decisions)
• Maintenance commitment and support expectations
• Dependency management to minimize external requirements
• Target Java version and migration path

Getting broader feedback from the open source community helps improve code quality compared to internal-only feedback

Alternative publishing options to Maven Central include:

• JitPack for simpler publishing workflow
• GitHub Packages for tighter GitHub integration
• Custom repository solutions

Additional benefits of open sourcing:

• Demonstrates technical skills publicly
• Enables collaboration and contributions from others
• Helps build community around the project
• Can serve as example code for others

Key challenges to prepare for:

• Handling user support and issues
• Managing breaking changes carefully
• Dealing with security vulnerabilities
• Maintaining backwards compatibility
• Time commitment for maintenance

Documentation is critical for adoption:

• Clear usage examples
• Architecture/design decisions explained
• Migration guides for version updates
• API documentation and Javadoc

Consider user impact when making changes:

• Version numbering strategy
• Deprecation policies
• Breaking vs non-breaking changes
• Migration tooling if needed