● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 neutral
OpenSearch Project Shows Decreased AWS Contribution and Increased Self-Managed Deployments
Key points
- AWS contribution to OpenSearch fell from 91% to 72% since its first year.
- Amazon-affiliated maintainers in core repository decreased from 95% to 71%.
- Self-managed OpenSearch deployments grew from 37% to 60% since 2024.
- 24% of non-adopters cite vendor neutrality concerns due to AWS ties.
Background of OpenSearch
OpenSearch was initiated by Amazon Web Services in January 2021 as a response to Elastic's decision to change the licensing of Elasticsearch and Kibana from Apache 2.0 to proprietary and source-available licenses. Elastic cited concerns about cloud providers offering their services without contributing back. Although Elastic later added AGPL as a licensing option and reconciled with AWS, OpenSearch continued as an independent open-source project.
Shift Towards Vendor Neutrality
A significant step towards vendor neutrality occurred in September 2024 when AWS transferred OpenSearch to the Linux Foundation, establishing the OpenSearch Software Foundation. This move aimed to foster greater confidence among other companies to contribute to the project without AWS retaining ultimate control.
Decreased AWS Contribution
Data from the OpenSearch Software Foundation indicates a reduction in AWS's involvement. AWS's share of contribution activities across OpenSearch repositories has decreased from 91% in its first year to 72% in 2025–26. Similarly, Amazon-affiliated engineers accounted for 71% of maintainers in the core OpenSearch repository in April 2022, down from 95%.
Growth in Self-Managed Deployments
The 2026 Open Data Infrastructure Report, published by the Linux Foundation and the OpenSearch Software Foundation, shows a trend towards self-managed deployments. Since 2024, self-managed deployments have grown faster than Amazon's managed OpenSearch Service. Currently, 60% of surveyed OpenSearch users run self-managed deployments in the cloud, an increase from 37% in 2024. Use of Amazon's managed service saw a more modest rise from 44% to 48%.
Lingering Perceptions
Despite these shifts, AWS's historical association with OpenSearch remains a concern for some potential users. The report indicates that nearly a quarter (24%) of 71 surveyed non-adopters expressed concerns regarding the project's vendor neutrality and its historical ties to AWS.
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Primary sources
GitHub opensearch-project/OpenSearchReporting from
Five years after its creation by AWS, the OpenSearch project is demonstrating reduced reliance on its original backer. AWS's share of contributions has decreased, and self-managed deployments of OpenSearch are growing faster than Amazon's managed service, indicating a shift towards broader community involvement and adoption.