# 11 Open Source Projects Run by One Person

> 11 core open source projects depend on one or two people maintaining them.
- Title: 11 Open Source Projects Run by One Person · Linux Stans
- Summary: 11 core open source projects depend on one or two people maintaining them. 11 of 23 open source projects have one or two regular contributors who handle all…
- Keywords: open source, linux, core projects, maintainer, one person, software, security, contributor, technology, startups, Open, Source
- Source: Linux Stans — https://linuxstans.com/11-of-23-core-open-source-projects-run-on-1-or-2-people
- Published: 2026-10-09T16:53:26+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: open source, linux, core projects, maintainer, one person, software, security, contributor, technology, startups
## Time Zone Database
Paul Eggert maintains the time zone database used by 4 billion devices.

> August twenty-third
## xz Compression Tool
Lasse Collin writes 97 percent of xz changes in 2025 with no new funding.

> 97 percent
## sudo Command
Todd Miller maintains sudo with 5,408 changes from 2008 to 2018.

> 5,408
## bash Shell
Chet Ramey maintains bash since 1990 with 25 years of unreported bugs.

> 25 years
## OpenSSL Security
Heartbleed bug led to $5.4 million funding for OpenSSL in 2014.

> $5.4 million
## One-Person Projects
11 of 23 projects have one or two regular contributors making ten or more changes.

> 11 of 23
## Funding Sources
Germany’s Sovereign Tech Agency funds 90 open source projects since 2022.

> 90
## Open Source Challenges
8 projects show no public funding despite being used by billions of devices.

> 8 projects
## Security Risks
xz backdoor affected 2024 ssh logins with no public funding after incident.

> 2024
## Contributor Impact
One maintainer’s absence causes security risks for 2024 ssh logins.

> 2024
## Open Source Funding
OpenSSL received $2,000 in donations before Heartbleed incident.

> $2,000
## One-Person Projects
8 projects have no public grants despite being used by billions of devices.

> 8 projects
## Security Incident
Heartbleed bug exposed 17 percent of secure servers in 2014.

> 17 percent
## Open Source Maintenance
One maintainer’s absence causes security risks for 2024 ssh logins.

> 2024
## Open Source Funding
OpenSSL received $2,000 in donations before Heartbleed incident.

> $2,000
## Open Source Projects
11 of 23 projects have one or two regular contributors making ten or more changes.

> 11 of 23
## Key takeaway

11 of 23 open source projects have one or two regular contributors who handle all updates.