OurSQL Foundation Launched to Give MySQL Community a Transparent Voice

Regulatory action → What it requires → Compliance timeline

Regulatory action: While no government regulation is being imposed, the MySQL community has taken a self‑regulatory step by forming the OurSQL Foundation, a nonprofit entity that will act as a neutral steward for the open‑source database.

What it requires:

• Transparent governance – The foundation will publish meeting minutes, roadmap drafts, and voting records on a public website.
• Open contribution model – All code contributions, feature proposals, and security patches must be submitted through the foundation’s GitHub mirror (https://github.com/our-sql) and undergo a documented review process.
• Stakeholder participation – Oracle, as the IP holder, is invited to join the board alongside Percona, PlanetScale, PingCAP, VillageSQL, Alibaba, and independent experts. Membership entails quarterly reporting of development priorities and a commitment to disclose any planned proprietary extensions that affect the open‑source core.
• Compliance timeline:
  • By 30 June 2026 – Foundation charter and bylaws publicly released.
  • By 31 July 2026 – First public roadmap covering MySQL 9.0 features, security updates, and deprecation policy.
  • By 30 September 2026 – All major MySQL releases must include a “Foundation‑approved” label indicating that the release passed the open‑source review checklist.

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Why the foundation matters

The MySQL ecosystem has faced criticism for opaque decision‑making under Oracle’s stewardship. Private code drops and limited visibility into future features have driven developers toward alternatives such as PostgreSQL. By establishing a formal, community‑run body, the OurSQL Foundation aims to restore confidence that MySQL’s development will be predictable, auditable, and aligned with the needs of a diverse user base.

How the foundation will operate

1. Board composition – Six voting seats are allocated to major ecosystem players (Percona, PlanetScale, PingCAP, VillageSQL, Alibaba, and an independent MySQL consultant). Oracle may occupy an observer seat with full voting rights if it joins the board.
2. Roadmap process – Feature proposals are submitted via a public issue tracker. After a 30‑day public comment period, the board votes on inclusion. Approved items are added to a quarterly roadmap published on the foundation’s site.
3. Security coordination – The foundation will maintain a dedicated security mailing list and a CVE response SLA of 48 hours for critical vulnerabilities. All patches must be merged through the foundation’s fork before downstream distributions can adopt them.
4. Funding model – Membership dues, corporate sponsorships, and a modest donation program will fund infrastructure (website, CI/CD pipelines, legal counsel). Financial statements are posted quarterly for full transparency.

Oracle’s response and next steps

In March, Oracle announced a “new approach” to developer engagement, highlighting upcoming vector‑search capabilities. The company has not yet confirmed board membership, but its public blog emphasizes a commitment to MySQL as a core component of its data strategy. Should Oracle join, the foundation expects a formal memorandum of understanding by 31 August 2026, outlining shared responsibilities for roadmap disclosure and community support.

What developers should do now

• Follow the foundation’s GitHub – Clone the public mirror, watch the issue tracker, and submit any feature requests or bug reports.
• Review the charter – The charter, available at https://our-sql.org/charter, details governance rules and the code‑of‑conduct.
• Plan for the 9.0 release – Begin testing against the MySQL 9.0 beta branch, which will be tagged as a “Foundation‑approved” release once the roadmap is finalized.

By institutionalizing transparency and inviting all stakeholders—including Oracle—to participate on equal footing, the OurSQL Foundation seeks to ensure that MySQL remains a viable, community‑driven database for the next generation of applications.