Semaphore Going Open Source with Darko Fabijan from Semaphore CI |🎙️#59
In episode 59 of DevOps Accents, friend of the podcast Darko Fabijan is back to talk about the Community Edition of Semaphore CI. Why did Semaphore go Open Source, what had to be done to do so, and what awaits us going forward? In this episode:
- Open Source licensing and community collaboration;
- The impact of Open Source on business and development;
- Infrastructure and security considerations;
- CI/CD tools and market dynamics;
- The future of Open Source.
You can listen to episode 59 of DevOps Accents on Spotify, or right now:
When Semaphore, a continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) platform, recently went open source, it wasn’t just about licensing. It marked a deeper shift—one centered on transparency, collaboration, and a fresh approach to community engagement in the CI/CD space. Co-founder Darko Fabijan shared insights into this transformation, revealing what it means for their product, their users, and the broader development ecosystem.
Why Licensing Matters, and Why It’s Not the Whole Story
Semaphore’s open source release uses the Apache 2.0 license, giving users broad freedom: run it, fork it, even commercialize it. The team adopted an open core model, where the majority of features are freely available, while a few compliance and security tools remain under a commercial license. Small companies—defined as under 50 people and less than $5 million in annual recurring revenue—can even run the full-featured enterprise version for free.
But beyond legal terms, this shift signaled something bigger: an open invitation for developers to engage, contribute, and influence the product’s direction. As Darko puts it, “open source is a collaboration model, not just a business one.” That mindset change has started transforming how Semaphore interacts with users and developers alike.
In our industry, there is a cycle that takes maybe roughly 10 years — or maybe a little bit more — of fragmentation and consolidation. So you had Microsoft, you know, in the nineties and so on. Then you had Linux plus, all the other open-source software that came along with that, which was a huge fragmentation and kind of people taking back the power.
We are now maybe at, kind of, the closing of that cycle. So, on one hand, Microsoft did bounce back from their low point, but there are also — what also exists now in the realm of consolidation — are these big cloud providers. You guys know, you work with them every day, all day: AWS, Google, Azure, mainly.
So they are in the market, and there is kind of everyone else. And everyone else combined is probably smaller than one of those. And if you are an independent software vendor — and if you are going, in a way of course, against Microsoft and AWS and the other guys — you need to have the best cards possible.
And I think, for something that engineers and technical people use — use a lot — one of the strongest cards that you could have is open source and the community around that. — Darko Fabijan
From Vendor Booths to Community Circles
Pre-open source, Semaphore had customers—but not much of a community. That changed almost immediately after the code went public. Conferences that once felt like product showcases now feel more like peer discussions. Developers are no longer just buyers—they’re contributors, code reviewers, and even collaborators in design discussions.
A key part of this effort is “Semaphore Backstage,” a public-facing initiative where internal meetings are streamed and shared. Product decisions, technical discussions, architecture docs—it’s all out in the open. The goal is to earn trust over time and make it easier for contributors to get involved. For now, many contributions are small (typos, CSS tweaks), but the foundation is being laid for more substantial involvement.
Infrastructure and Security: Opening the Doors Carefully
Before going public, Semaphore took a hard look at its infrastructure. Working with external partners, they transitioned everything to Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, and conducted thorough security reviews of their Google Cloud-based architecture. As Darko described it, “you don’t invite people into your house without cleaning it first.”
This cleanup wasn’t just cosmetic. It brought previously ad-hoc components into a structured, secure setup—critical when inviting outside contributors to poke around. It’s also set a new internal standard: no more manual configurations. Every resource is now fully managed and auditable.
CI/CD Tools, Growth, and the Role of the Community
The CI/CD market is booming—projected to grow from $1.4 billion to over $3.7 billion in the next few years. Tools like Jenkins still dominate, but newer entrants like Semaphore are carving out space, especially among companies looking for scalable, developer-friendly alternatives with strong support.
Critics sometimes cite “fewer resources” or “requires more technical know-how” as drawbacks of smaller platforms like Semaphore. But according to both Darko and those who’ve switched, these are outdated impressions. Semaphore’s interface is clean and intuitive, and their support team—despite the company's size—is a standout. “We win people over with usability and support,” Darko said, “especially those coming from plugin-heavy setups like Jenkins.”
Open sourcing, then, isn’t just about keeping up—it’s about standing out. And in a fragmented landscape where consolidation is increasingly the norm, open source can be a strategic lever. It's a way to stay relevant, adaptable, and closely connected to what developers actually need.
The Road Ahead for Open Source
Looking forward, Semaphore plans to deepen its community engagement with structured working groups on documentation, APIs, and continuous delivery. There's an understanding that meaningful contributions take time—but the team is patient, transparent, and clearly committed.
As for open source at large? Darko sees it continuing to grow in relevance—not because it’s free, but because it works. It’s a global collaboration model that transcends borders, politics, and organizations. Whether it's running behind a train station kiosk or powering a mobile phone, open source is infrastructure now. The rise of AI may only accelerate that, making it easier for new contributors to get up to speed and participate.
In Semaphore’s case, going open source wasn’t a side project. It’s a fundamental shift in how the company works—with its code, with its users, and with the community. And it’s just getting started.
Show Notes
- Our guest, Darko Fabijan, on LinkedIn
- Semaphore CI
- Semaphore on GitHub
Podcast editing: Mila Jones, milajonesproduction@gmail.com