Commonhaus

Author: FDelporte

content/blog/2026/20260227-pi4j-commonhaus.md

@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
 ---
-title: "Pi4J Joins the Commonhaus Foundation: Securing the Future of Java on Single-Board Computers"
+title: "Pi4J Joins Commonhaus"
 date: 2026-02-27
 tags: ["Commonhaus"]
 canonical: https://webtechie.be/post/2026-02-27-pi4j-commonhaus/
 ---
 
 2026-02-27 by Frank Delporte
 
+## Pi4J Joins the Commonhaus Foundation: Securing the Future of Java on Single-Board Computers
+
 Open source software is built on passion, time, and dedication. But passion alone doesn't guarantee the long-term survival of a project. Maintainers move on, life changes, priorities shift, and sometimes a beloved project simply fades away. Something we want to avoid for the [Pi4J project](https://www.pi4j.com/). So I'm very happy that I can share that on February 26, Pi4J got accepted into the [Commonhaus Foundation](https://www.commonhaus.org/). This is a major step to make sure that this Java library, used by many developers in all kinds of projects, can continue to exist and grow.
 
-## Pi4J, Born Out of Curiosity
+### Pi4J, Born Out of Curiosity
 
 [Pi4J started in 2012, when Robert Savage discovered the Raspberry Pi](https://foojay.io/today/interviews-with-robert-savage-and-johan-vos-on-the-state-of-java-on-raspberry-pi/). He saw the same thing many of us did: a tiny, affordable computer with enormous potential. But what he also noticed was the lack of a proper Java library to interact with the GPIO pins and hardware interfaces of the board.
 
@@ -19,27 +21,27 @@ Robert presented Pi4J at JavaOne in 2013 (see [this interview](https://www.pi4j.
 
 That torch has since been carried by a [small but dedicated team](https://www.pi4j.com/about/team/) of which most are still currently active contributing new code, examples, documentation improvements, etc. Together we've continued pushing Pi4J forward, introducing V3 with improved board detection and V4, published on February 20, which provides a new plugin using the Foreign Function & Memory (FFM) API to replace the native JNI calls entirely. Check the [interview with Nick Gritsenko](https://www.pi4j.com/blog/2026/2026-interview-nick-ffm/) to learn more about the new FFM plugin.
 
-## What Is Commonhaus?
+### What Is Commonhaus?
 
 The [Commonhaus Foundation](https://www.commonhaus.org/) describes itself as building "a forever home for open source projects." It is a non-profit organization with a clear mission: ensuring the sustainability of open source libraries and frameworks, especially those that have grown beyond a single person's hobby project but aren't necessarily backed by a large corporation, just like the Pi4J project.
 
 What makes Commonhaus different from other foundations is its deliberate "community-first" approach. It doesn't impose mandates or heavy governance structures. Instead, it honors each project's identity and offers guidance, transparency, and long-term thinking. Commonhaus acts as a neutral, stable anchor. It holds the keys to the domain names, the GitHub organization ownership, and all other critical accounts, so that if an entire team were to disappear tomorrow, the project wouldn't vanish with them.
 
 Other well-known Java projects that have already joined Commonhaus include [Jackson](https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson), [JBang](https://www.jbang.dev/), [JReleaser](https://jreleaser.org/), [Hibernate](https://hibernate.org/), [Micronaut](https://micronaut.io/),... Check the [full list here](https://www.commonhaus.org/#our-projects). It's clear, Pi4J is in good company within the Commonhaus community!
 
-## What Actually Changes for Pi4J?
+### What Actually Changes for Pi4J?
 
 From a day-to-day perspective: **practically nothing**. The team stays the same, the roadmap stays the same, and development continues as before. The code lives where it always has, the documentation is where you expect it, and contributions are as welcome as ever.
 
 The real change is structural and symbolic. Commonhaus now holds all the "keys" to the project: the critical infrastructure access that ensures Pi4J can continue even if the current team members were no longer able to maintain it. Think of it as giving the project a safety net. Not because we plan on going anywhere, but because it's the responsible thing to do for everyone who builds things with Pi4J.
 
 This is exactly the kind of situation that motivated us to take this step. The project survived the transition from Robert Savage to a bigger, new team because there were people willing to step up. But relying purely on informal goodwill and hoping the right people will always appear at the right moment is not a strategy. Joining Commonhaus gives Pi4J a more solid foundation, literally and figuratively.
 
-## Where Things Stand
+### Where Things Stand
 
 Pi4J was officially accepted by the Commonhaus Foundation on **February 26, 2026**. The administrative paperwork like transferring ownership of the necessary accounts and infrastructure is currently in progress and will be finalized as soon as possible. There is nothing for users to do or worry about. Everything continues to work exactly as before.
 
-## Looking Ahead
+### Looking Ahead
 
 This is a milestone worth celebrating, not because anything dramatically changes today, but because of what it means for tomorrow. Pi4J has been helping Java developers blink LEDs, read sensors, build kiosk interfaces, control robots, and generally do wonderfully nerdy things with hardware for over a decade. With the backing of the Commonhaus Foundation, the project now has the institutional support to keep doing that for the next decade and beyond.