Benefits

People sometimes ask why Sentry is an open source company. However, they are typically asking about our business model: conversion funnel, product roadmap, monetization strategy. In our experience as engineers and as professionals, there is no other choice but open source for building a viable software company serving modern development cycles.

As a mantra, Sentry is an open source company because the right to learn and to share what is learned with others is fundamental to product growth and relevance.

Flexible

Open source code can be updated locally by any developer and changed often (even replaced as needs shift). It’s pliable to each user’s specific objectives and use case, and any modifications can be made available to the entire community.

Locked-in

When a user is dependant on a vendor, making changes typically carries substantial costs, which are passed on to the customer. Infrastructure or architecture complexity also usually contribute to high switching costs (and high service costs).

More Secure

Software that’s viewable by everyone out in the open inherently contains incentives to find and address security and other vulnerabilities more quickly. Compliance isn’t beholden to the vendor’s ability to hire dedicated engineers.

Unauditable

Security through obscurity often hides issues. If a product is closed from public view, those outside the company have little idea how many bugs or security issues it may contain. Additionally, compliance reviews are very difficult and expensive.

Interoperable

Being able to share and communicate data between systems and services is essential to long-term use and user outcomes. Openness to integrations is a basic tenet of modern software and key to the user experience.

Proprietary

Restrictions on the use of proprietary software are spelled out in an end user license agreement, typically prohibiting modifications to enable use with certain other technologies (or those upgrades are only available for a fee).

Community-Oriented

Open source software is “free like a kitten,” requiring care and support from an active community. A common point of reference — the code — is a starting point for users to coalesce and determine direction and growth.

Pay-to-Play

When companies restrict certain functionality or features to a paid version of their software, there is little opportunity to build a community, since groups of users have different experiences dictated by the vendor.

Platform Extensible

There are few barriers to modifying open source packages for different contexts, such as libraries or SDKs for your framework of choice. Open source even makes it easier to find community partners to work on projects that benefit everyone.

Narrowly Focused

Getting modifications made to accommodate your application or systems usually depends on a vendor’s existing roadmap (or your ability to pay). Proprietary software rarely has flexibility to support emerging (or legacy) needs.

Educational

Open source is not just a try-before-you-buy sales model. It encourages users to learn by using the software at scale and lower their own barriers to widespread adoption. It also helps with staff retention and onboarding new team members.

High Friction

Most vendor-specific software (even open-core and SaaS) not only requires payment prior to implementation, but it also limits the access users have to learning before adoption, often requiring expensive training, certification, and integration.

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of Functional Software, Inc.