December 3, 2024
The FreeBSD Foundation is proud to support the FreeBSD Project—an enterprise-class open source operating system trusted by millions. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we are committed to ensuring FreeBSD remains secure, high-performance, and adaptable for users everywhere.
On this #GivingTuesday, we’d like to reflect on this year’s accomplishments and share how your support helps us continue this important work.
New Milestones
In 2024, the Foundation reached new milestones in its support of FreeBSD:
- Multi-Year Investment from Sovereign Tech Agency: In August, we announced a large, multi-year investment to help FreeBSD drive improvements in infrastructure, security, regulatory compliance, and developer experience. Your support enables us to hire team members who are instrumental in managing this key program.
- Proactive Security Audit: Thanks to the Alpha Omega Project grant, we hired Synacktiv to conduct a code audit on two critical FreeBSD components: the bhyve hypervisor and the Capsicum sandboxing framework. This effort, part of our ongoing partnership with Alpha Omega, demonstrates our proactive commitment to addressing software security risks and securing the open-source supply chain. The next phase of this collaboration includes a process audit to further enhance FreeBSD’s resilience. Your continued donations help us fund vital initiatives like these.
- Improving Laptop Support: In partnership with Quantum Leap Research, we are addressing the critical need for better laptop support. By enhancing suspend/resume functionality, hybrid graphics, and next-generation Wi-Fi compatibility, we are ensuring FreeBSD excels on modern portable systems. Your contributions are crucial to sustaining this long-term effort and advancing broader hardware compatibility.
These projects reflect our commitment to undertaking larger, multi-part initiatives to ensure the growth and success of FreeBSD.
Focus on Software Development
In addition to these milestones, over 54% of our budget goes directly to software development efforts, including:
- Security Improvements and Fixes: The commission of user guides, such as the CIS FreeBSD 14 Benchmark, a guide designed to help you configure your FreeBSD systems securely and efficiently, and providing Foundation staff dedicated to bolstering the capacity and responsiveness of the Security team.
- File System Improvements: Features like RAID-Z Expansion and enhanced UFS snapshot capabilities to reduce downtime.
- Networking Upgrades: Tools like Vector Packet Processing (VPP) for modern, high-performance networking needs.
We also sustain FreeBSD through investments in critical areas like:
- Infrastructure Upgrades: Providing servers, networking equipment, and testing environments for developers.
- Testing and Automation: Building systems that ensure stability and performance.
- Legal Support: Managing contracts, licenses, and compliance to let contributors focus on innovation.
Educating and Inspiring the Next Generation
In 2024, we developed workshops, presentations, and educational materials to grow the FreeBSD community and inspire new contributors. Your donations help ensure FreeBSD’s longevity by fostering the next generation of users and developers.
We Need Your Support
The Foundation’s mission includes ensuring the long-term sustainability of FreeBSD, and our efforts this past year have led us closer to that goal. However, we can’t do it alone. Our work is entirely dependent on donations from individuals and businesses like you. Together, we can:
- Build and enhance new features.
- Provide critical resources for developers.
- Grow our user and contributor base
- Promote FreeBSD on a global stage.
As we look to the future, your help is more important than ever. Every donation ensures FreeBSD continues to grow and meet the evolving needs of its users.
Please consider supporting us today.
Thank you for helping us sustain FreeBSD in 2025 and beyond!