The Oniro project, as a vendor‑neutral open‑source operating system hosted by the Eclipse Foundation, is a strategic asset for European and global technology sovereignty. To safeguard the project’s independence, ensure legal compliance, and guarantee uninterrupted access for all stakeholders, a geographically and legally resilient backup host is essential.
Codeberg, a non‑profit, community‑driven Git‑hosting platform based in Germany, offers a sanction‑proof, GDPR‑compliant sanctuary within the European Union. It aligns perfectly with the Eclipse Foundation’s commitment to European‑led innovation and digital sovereignty.
This document outlines a formal proposal to establish a Codeberg‑based backup host for the entire Oniro repository, providing a sovereign, redundant, and strategically autonomous mirror for the project.
2. Strategic Rationale – Why Codeberg?
Aspect Codeberg’s Value
Legal & Regulatory Hosted in Germany, Codeberg operates under EU data‑protection law (GDPR), avoiding extraterritorial legal risks and providing a stable, predictable environment for open‑source projects.
Governance A non‑profit, community‑driven ethos that mirrors the open‑source principles of the Oniro project.
Strategic Alignment Codeberg’s mission directly supports the Eclipse Foundation’s goal of fostering a robust, independent European tech ecosystem.
Continuity & Redundancy: A geographically separate backup host ensures the project remains accessible even if the primary host (GitHub and GitLab Eclipse) experiences downtime or disruption.
Developer Experience Codeberg supports Git‑native workflows, Forgejo Actions (GitHub‑compatible CI/CD), and self‑hosted runners, enabling a seamless transition for developers.
3. Technical Implementation – How to Mirror Oniro on Codeberg
Step Description
1. Repository Mirroring Use Git’s built‑in mirroring capability to create a read‑only copy of the main Oniro repository (gitlab.eclipse.org/oniro) on Codeberg. This can be automated via a scheduled cron job or a CI/CD pipeline. 2. Backup Automation Leverage existing open‑source backup tools available on Codeberg (e.g., “Codeberg‑Backup‑Tool”) to periodically snapshot the entire repository, including issues, wikis, and pull‑request metadata.
3. Synchronization Strategy Set up a push‑or‑pull mirror that updates at least daily, ensuring the Codeberg copy is never more than 24 hours behind the primary.
4. Access Control Maintain the Codeberg mirror as a read‑only public repository, while granting write access to a designated Oniro maintenance team for administrative updates.
5. Monitoring & Alerting Implement health‑checks to verify mirroring status and notify the Oniro infrastructure team of any synchronization failures.
4. Proposal Outline for the Eclipse Foundation
A formal proposal to the Eclipse Foundation should include the following elements:
Executive Summary – Brief statement of the goal: “Establish a Codeberg‑based backup host for the Oniro project to enhance digital sovereignty, strategic autonomy, and project resilience.”
Background – Context on digital‑sovereignty imperatives and the strategic value of Oniro.
Objectives –
Provide a legally compliant, EU‑based backup of the entire Oniro repository.
Ensure uninterrupted access for European and global developers, hardware vendors, and other stakeholders.
Strengthen the project’s independence from non‑EU hosting platforms.
Technical Approach – As outlined in Section 3.
Governance & Operations – Define roles (e.g., mirror‑maintainer, backup‑coordinator) and processes for managing the backup host.
Timeline & Resources – Suggest a 3‑month pilot phase, requiring minimal volunteer or staff effort.
Risk Mitigation – Address potential concerns (e.g., sync‑latency, storage costs, legal compliance).
Call to Action – Request the Oniro Working Group to endorse the proposal and forward it to the Eclipse Foundation’s steering committee.
Example of existing formal proposal discourse: The Oniro Working Group recently discussed strategic proposals for the ecosystem via a dedicated mailing‑list thread. This Codeberg‑backup initiative can be presented as a complementary, infrastructure‑focused proposal.
5. Benefits for Stakeholders
Stakeholder Benefit:
Eclipse Foundation demonstrates concrete action toward European digital sovereignty; reduces dependency on non‑EU hosting providers.
Oniro Working Group Provides a resilient, legally secure backup that aligns with the group’s strategic goals.
European Developers & Hardware Vendors Guarantees uninterrupted access to Oniro source code, even in scenarios of geopolitical or regulatory shifts.
Global Contributors Offers an alternative access point that avoids potential connectivity or legal barriers.
Oniro Project Enhances project credibility and attractiveness as a sovereign, vendor‑neutral OS platform.
6. Conclusion
Establishing a Codeberg backup host for the Oniro project is a low‑effort, high‑impact step that directly supports the Eclipse Foundation’s digital‑sovereignty and strategic‑autonomy objectives. The technical steps are straightforward, the legal and strategic advantages are clear, and the benefits extend to all Oniro stakeholders.
I recommend the Oniro Working Group formally adopt this proposal and submit it to the Eclipse Foundation for approval, enabling the Oniro community to build on a truly independent, resilient, and sovereign foundation.
Best regards,
Benjamin Akhigbe
Learning Oniro/HarmonyOS UK/Global Developer
benjaminakhigbe@xxxxxxxxx
On behalf of the Eclipse Xpanse Project
