The developers of MinIO, a high-performance object storage compatible with Amazon S3 and boasting over a billion downloads on Docker Hub, have moved the project's Git repository into an archive mode that allows read-only access. The last change in the repository was the addition of a note regarding the cessation of support and a recommendation to switch to the proprietary product MinIO AIStor. Archiving has become the final step in a series of events perceived by the community as an imitation of openness (Openwashing — the use of the reputation of a free project to promote a proprietary product).
In the spring of 2025, the Community edition of MinIO saw the removal of the administration functionality from the web console without prior notice, leaving only the interface for navigating objects. Users were encouraged to manage storage, access, and users via the command line interface or the commercial version AIStor Enterprise, starting at $96,000 per year. In October 2025, the publishing of ready-made container images on Docker Hub ceased, coinciding with the disclosure of a privilege escalation vulnerability. By December 2025, the project was transitioned into a maintenance mode, which allowed only critical vulnerability fixes to be added to the open codebase. Changes related to new functionalities and bug fixes would be made solely in the commercial version.
The reason for abandoning the open development model was dissatisfaction with the use of MinIO's developments in third-party proprietary products in violation of open license terms. In 2021, eight months before closing the investment round from SoftBank, the license for MinIO was changed from Apache 2.0 to AGPLv3. In 2022, MinIO publicly accused Nutanix of license violations when shipping MinIO as part of a software stack (mentioning no use of MinIO) and announced the revocation of the Apache 2.0 and AGPLv3 licenses. Nutanix acknowledged the oversights.
In 2023, the same tactic of enforcing compliance with licensing was applied to Weka. Weka called it an unprovoked attack and stated that it only uses old code in its products, supplied under the Apache 2.0 license, which it fully complied with. It was also noted that the revocation process does not apply to the Apache 2.0 license. MinIO softened its wording, acknowledging that its statements might have been misinterpreted.
In response to the repository archiving, the founder of the PostgreSQL distribution Pigsty announced the creation of a fork — pgsty/minio, which restored support for the web admin console and established a process for publishing a ready Docker image and restoring public documentation. It is noted that the fork will be maintained by the community and will continue to maintain the codebase under the GNU AGPLv3 license.
The primary focus will be on maintaining a stable codebase, as well as fixing bugs and vulnerabilities. Actively expanding functionality is not planned since the founder of the fork estimates that MinIO is already a finished, fully functional software that addresses the set tasks. In case of claims about the use of the registered trademark MinIO, the fork intends to rename itself (new names being considered include silo or stow).
Among the existing open alternatives to MinIO, AIStore, Garage, Ambry, SeaweedFS, RustFS, hs5, Ceph, and Versity S3 Gateway can also be noted. Representatives from the community support MinIO web console forks — OpenMaxIO and Console.
Source: opennet.ru
