Linux Foundation to form React Foundation for open governance

The Linux Foundation has announced its intention to establish the React Foundation, which will oversee the stewardship of React and React Native, with contributions from Meta and participation from a number of technology companies.

The React Foundation will serve as a neutral home for React, React Native, and associated projects, providing governance, supporting community events such as React Conf., and launching new programmes aimed at expanding global collaboration within the developer community.

Foundation plans

React, a JavaScript library originally developed by Meta, is utilised by nearly 55 million websites and is used by more than 20 million developers globally. React Native, an extension of React for cross-platform mobile application development, is also widely adopted, with more than four million downloads per week by developers building for a range of devices.

The foundation's founding members include Amazon, Callstack, Expo, Meta, Microsoft, Software Mansion, and Vercel. Seth Webster, who heads up React at Meta, will take on the role of Executive Director of the React Foundation.

According to Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation, the move to create a neutral home for React and React Native is a significant development for the open source community.

"The move to a neutral home is the natural next step in the evolution of this important open source technology to ensure React and React Native remain open, innovative and community led. This will be a major milestone for the open source ecosystem, and we look forward to welcoming the React Foundation to the Linux Foundation."

The React Foundation is expected to manage core infrastructure, organise developer events, and work to expand the reach and sustainability of React and React Native, both of which are integral to modern web and mobile development practices.

Meta's perspective

Andrew "Boz" Bosworth, Meta's Chief Technology Officer and Head of Reality Labs, reflected on the journey of React from its initial open sourcing to its current widespread use and outlined the benefits of the technology's transition to foundation governance.

"We open sourced React 12 years ago and since then the community has made it an essential part of how our industry ships better products. Today React is used by over 20 million developers to build across mobile, desktop, TVs, gaming consoles and VR headsets. The new React Foundation board will include many leaders who helped get the community where it is today, including from Meta and our partners at Amazon, Callstack, Expo, Microsoft, Software Mansion, and Vercel. I'm excited to keep supporting the React community and making better user experiences for everyone."

Industry support

Other founding members expressed support for the establishment of the React Foundation and its role in overseeing the continued development and collaborative governance of React and React Native.

Mike Grabowski, Chief Technology Officer and Founder, Callstack, commented on the company's longstanding involvement with React Native and their ongoing commitment as a founding member.

"We've been all-in on React Native since day one, so joining the React Foundation as a founding member will be a natural and incredibly exciting step. This move to a neutral, collaborative home under the Linux Foundation will ensure the long-term health and open governance of the ecosystem we've dedicated ourselves to building. Our long-standing partnership with Meta, from contributing to the core of React Native to co-organizing React Conf, has always been about pushing the community forward. We are thrilled to formalize this collaboration and work alongside industry leaders to accelerate innovation for the next generation of applications."

Charlie Cheever, Co-founder of Expo, highlighted the impact of React on modern UI design and development methodologies, and welcomed the formation of the new foundation.

"React has been wind pushing forward application UIs - and the way that we build them - for the last decade. Both because of the core ideas - components that are composable and that are always up to date - and also because of the tasteful way that the maintainers have evolved React over that time, for example the elegant transition from class components to function components. Now that almost everyone uses React - and even those who don't are now using frameworks inspired by it! - it's wonderful that React will have its own foundation as Meta brings in the entire community to guide its future. It's a great honor for Expo to be a founding board member and expand our work of stewardship for this absolutely electric idea."

Software Mansion, a major contributor to the React Native ecosystem, will also join as a founding member. Magdalena Retman-Rakoczy, Vice President at Software Mansion, commented on their ongoing commitment to the technology and the broader community.

"Twelve years ago, we took a chance with React Native - and it turned out to be one of the most meaningful bets we've ever made. Ever since then, we've been actively supporting the ecosystem by building and maintaining core libraries and fostering community relations. At the same time, we've been successfully using React Native to ship hundreds of apps for our clients. Having witnessed how this technology has grown and how impactful it has become, we're proud to join the React Foundation as founding members. We want to see React Native get even bigger - and we're here to make it happen."

Tom Occhino, Vice President of Engineering at Vercel, noted the broader influence React has had on software development and the opportunities the foundation offers to support future generations of developers.

"React has reshaped software development forever and has helped bring a staggering number of people into software for the first time. Its principles have influenced platforms and tools across the industry. I'm grateful for Meta's extraordinary stewardship and investment in React over the years, and I am humbled to see the impact it continues to have. At Vercel, we're honored to join the React Foundation and support its growth for the next generation of developers."

The React Foundation's establishment under the auspices of the Linux Foundation is intended to provide a sustainable and collaborative approach to the future governance, development, and expansion of React and React Native technologies.