A new era: Project Hiero and the Linux Foundation
In September 2024, Hedera took a landmark step by contributing its entire codebase—including the hashgraph consensus algorithm, all network services, SDKs, and development tools—to the Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust (LF Decentralized Trust) as project Hiero. This made Hedera the first Layer 1 public distributed ledger to transfer its code to an independent, vendor-neutral governance body.
The Hedera public ledger now operates as an instance of the Hiero codebase. By transferring ownership to LF Decentralized Trust, Hedera ensures the code remains open and independent, free from reliance on any single entity for maintenance or direction. This move integrates Hedera into a broader ecosystem of over 71,000 developers collaborating across more than 1,300 Linux Foundation projects globally.
What Hiero includes
Hiero encompasses the complete technology stack that powers the Hedera network:
- Consensus Nodes: Manage transactions, token issuance, and smart contracts using the hashgraph consensus algorithm
- Mirror Nodes: Provide historical data, analytics, and API access for auditing and application development
- SDKs: Development kits for JavaScript, Java, Go, and other languages
- Developer Tools: CLI tools, wallets, explorers, and testing frameworks
All components are available under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing developers, enterprises, and researchers to use, modify, and distribute the code freely.
Community and contribution model
According to the 2024 Bitergia Radar Report, Hedera’s ecosystem included over 655 contributors during 2024. Development follows a distributed model, with significant contributions from Hashgraph, LimeChain, and Envision Blockchain Solutions, alongside a growing independent developer community.
The report notes that while company contributors focus primarily on core development—the Consensus Node and Ledger—the Tooling and Applications layers attract the majority of new contributors, indicating strong opportunities for community growth. Hundreds of thousands of lines of code have been produced by contributors not affiliated with Hashgraph, particularly outside the core platform components.
Hiero adopts the Linux Foundation’s transparent contribution model. Anyone—whether an independent developer or a major enterprise—can contribute to the codebase, participate in Technical Steering Committee (TSC) meetings, and propose new features through a community-driven process modeled after Hedera’s HIP (Hedera Improvement Proposal) repository.
Audits and verification
The hashgraph consensus platform code has been audited by multiple independent firms to ensure security and correctness. These include:
- FP Complete: Code audit of the hashgraph consensus platform
- Carnegie Mellon University: COQ formal verification proof
Audit reports and verification documentation are publicly available on the Audits and Standards page.
Getting involved
Developers can engage with the Hiero project in several ways:
- Contribute code: Submit pull requests to Hiero repositories on GitHub across sub-projects including Consensus Nodes, Mirror Nodes, and SDKs
- Propose features: Use the community proposal process to suggest and vote on new capabilities
- Join discussions: Participate in TSC meetings and community channels
- Access documentation: All documentation is hosted on a neutral platform to ensure accessibility and alignment with open source standards
The Hedera Council continues to operate the mainnet, deploying monthly releases across previewnet, testnet, and mainnet environments. Developers can follow the Hedera Status page and official channels to track upcoming upgrades and prepare applications accordingly.
By contributing Hiero to the Linux Foundation, Hedera has set a new standard for decentralized open source development—demonstrating that enterprise-grade blockchain infrastructure can thrive under transparent, community-driven governance.