Open Source Transition

EDGCPP

4 min read Original article ↗

The EDG open source transition

EDG is open source.

On September 30, 2026, the source for EDG's C++ front end went public, and The C++ Alliance became its nonprofit home. Same engine, same standards, professionally maintained, and open to contributions.

Continuity is the point. This is a change of steward, not a change of course.

Part one

The history of EDG

For thirty years, EDG's front end has powered C++ compilation across the industry as the only production-quality source-to-source engine of its kind.

Coming soon

The full story is still being written

This section will cover EDG's founding, the people behind it, the milestones of its front end, and the compilers and tools built on top of it. Have a piece of that history to share? Open an issue on the site's repository.

Part two

EDG after September 30

When the source went public on September 30, 2026, professional maintenance had to continue. EDG needed a new home that could do three things at once.

01

Fiscal sponsorship

Receive and manage donations on behalf of EDG.

02

Technical continuity

Sustain the engineering quality EDG users depend on.

03

Domain expertise

C++ compiler front-end knowledge, from the inside.

Why The C++ Alliance

The C++ Alliance is a nonprofit with proven fiscal-sponsorship infrastructure, C++ compiler engineers on staff, and deep roots in the C++ standards and Boost communities. It now serves as EDG's nonprofit home.

Learn more about The C++ Alliance

  • Fiscal sponsor of the Boost C++ Libraries since 2024
  • LLVM committers with direct Clang front-end contributions
  • Published transparency reports

How it works

Three tracks, one codebase

EDG now works like any other open source project: anyone can contribute, and everything that lands is available to everyone. Development follows three tracks: contributions from the user community, ongoing maintenance, and collectively funded features.

Track 1

Community contributions

Bug fixes and new features from EDG users, submitted as pull requests. Reviewers, who are initially experienced EDG developers, evaluate the changes. Once approved, these changes are merged into the EDG codebase.

Track 2

Maintenance: always open

Bug fixes and maintenance by the Alliance's EDG developers are published immediately.

Track 3

Features: collectively funded

To support the EDG community, the Alliance will provide a way for larger features to be developed and funded by the community. In this way, organizations can support the development of larger features financially rather than committing their developers to the development of these features. Once a feature is funded, it is released to everyone at the same time.

One codebase, for everyone. Whichever track a change arrives on, it lands in the same public repository at the same time. No one gets early access.

Who oversees the process

The Fiscal Sponsorship Committee (FSC) oversees the process across all three tracks. It is chaired by John Spicer and will include volunteers from the EDG user community.

Want a say in who sits on it? See how to get involved.

  • Chaired by John Spicer
  • Includes volunteers from the EDG user community
  • Oversees how contributions are reviewed and merged
  • Sets priorities for maintenance and new features

What this means for you

What changes, and what doesn't

The engine, the standards it implements, and the person you talk to stay the same. How the work is funded and where the code lives do not.

Area Licensed model Open source model
Source code Proprietary, available under license Public, at github.com/edgcpp/compiler
Funding Annual license fees Alliance development is funded by tax-deductible contributions from the community
Development The EDG team EDG developers hired by The C++ Alliance, plus contributions from the EDG user community
Point of contact John Spicer John Spicer, as Chair of the Fiscal Sponsorship Committee
Lock-in Not applicable None. Exit at any time.

Get involved

Next steps

The source is now public. Here is where things stand, and how EDG users can take part.

  1. John Spicer led the transition

    Available now to walk any user through the details of the hand-off.

  2. Your input shapes the committee

    EDG user feedback on the composition of the Fiscal Sponsorship Committee and on development priorities is welcome. The committee will include volunteers from the EDG user community.

  3. Contribute code

    Now that the source is public, bug fixes and new features from EDG users are welcome as pull requests at github.com/edgcpp/compiler. See how contributions are handled.

  4. Join the conversation

    CppLang Slack for real-time chat. Request an invite, then join the #edgcpp channel.

Follow the work on GitHub

EDG's source and development have moved to github.com/edgcpp. Watch the organization to follow the work as it happens.

Go to github.com/edgcpp