The EDG open source transition
EDG is going open source.
On September 30, 2026, the source for EDG's C++ front end goes public, and The C++ Alliance becomes 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 goes public on September 30, 2026, professional maintenance has 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 will serve as EDG's nonprofit home.
- 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 will work 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 will initially be experienced EDG developers, will evaluate the changes. Once approved, these changes will be 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 |
| 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 transition is under way. Here is what happens next, and how EDG users can take part.
-
01
The agreement executes before September 30
The fiscal sponsorship agreement is ready to sign ahead of the transition date.
-
02
John Spicer leads the transition
Available now to walk any user through the details of the hand-off.
-
03
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.
-
04
Contribute code
Once the source is public, bug fixes and new features from EDG users are welcome as pull requests at github.com/edgcpp. See how contributions are handled.
-
05
Join the conversation
CppLang Slack for real-time chat. Request an invite, then join the
#edgcppchannel. -
06
Talk to us directly
Any EDG stakeholder can reach the Alliance team, any time. Contact The C++ Alliance.
Follow the work on GitHub
EDG's source and development are moving to github.com/edgcpp. Watch the organization to follow the transition as it happens.