Keystone Maintainers Keep the Internet Going

96% of all companies depend on Open Source software. But the most depended upon software is maintained by a relatively small number of people. Some have estimated that “80% of downloads are the gift of 4,000 people”, meaning that a few thousand people maintain a majority of the most depended upon Open Source software packages.

But what should we call these most depended upon packages that keep so much software working, that keep the internet working? And what should we call the maintainers that maintain them?

I've seen people say “critical packages” and “critical maintainers”. But brilliant researcher Nadia Asparouhova has a better name:

In conservation biology, a “keystone species” is a species of animal with a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance. Similarly, a “keystone contributor” might be a developer who contributes to multiple critical keystone projects, is singlehandedly responsible for a keystone project, or is generally perceived to be influential and trustworthy. Keystone contributors are critical advocates; empowering them with the resources they need could help improve the system as a whole.

— Nadia Asparouhova, Roads and Bridges: The Unseen Labor Behind Our Digital Infrastructure

So: keystone maintainers maintain keystone projects, and we should support them. 

Image by irasutoya.