The developers of MinIO, an Amazon S3-compatible, high-performance object storage service with over a billion downloads on Docker Hub, have switched the project's Git repository to archive mode, allowing read-only access. The final change to the repository was the addition of a note announcing the end of maintenance and recommending migration to MinIO's proprietary AIStor product. The archive is the final step in a series of events perceived by the community as a sham of openness (openwashing is the practice of exploiting the reputation of an open source project to promote a proprietary product).
In the spring of 2025, the MinIO Community edition's administration functionality was removed from the web console without prior warning, leaving only the object navigation interface. Managing storage, access, and users was now handled through the command line interface or the commercial version of AIStor Enterprise, which costs $96 per year. In October 2025, publishing of ready-to-use container images to Docker Hub ceased, coinciding with the disclosure of a privilege escalation vulnerability. In December 2025, the project was moved to maintenance mode, which meant only critical vulnerability fixes would be added to the open source codebase. Changes related to new functionality and bug fixes were now included only in the commercial version.
The decision to abandon the open development model stemmed from dissatisfaction with the use of MinIO developments in third-party proprietary products, which violated open license terms. In 2021, eight months before SoftBank closed its investment round, the MinIO license was changed from Apache 2.0 to AGPLv3. In 2022, MinIO publicly accused Nutanix of violating licenses when shipping MinIO as part of a software stack (the use of MinIO was not mentioned) and announced the revocation of the Apache 2.0 and AGPLv3 licenses. Nutanix acknowledged its shortcomings.
In 2023, the same license enforcement tactics were used against Weka. Weka called it an unprovoked attack and stated that its products only use legacy code released under the Apache 2.0 license, which it fully complied with. It also stated that the revocation process does not apply to the Apache 2.0 license. MinIO softened its language, acknowledging that its statements could have been misinterpreted.
In response to the repository's deletion, the founder of the PostgreSQL distribution Pigsty announced the creation of a fork—pgsty/minio—that restores support for the web administrator console, streamlines the process of publishing a ready-to-use Docker image, and restores public documentation. The fork will be community-driven 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, as the fork founder believes that MinIO is already a complete, fully functional software solution that addresses its intended needs. Should claims be made regarding the use of the registered MinIO trademark, the fork will be renamed (silo or stow are being considered).
Other open-source alternatives to MinIO include AIStore, Garage, Ambry, SeaweedFS, RustFS, hs5, Ceph, and Versity S3 Gateway. Community members maintain forks of the MinIO web console—OpenMaxIO and Console.
Source: opennet.ru
