Why not have a say?
You're a using OSS libraries on your production code. You are
trusting npm packages you didn't write.
You've watched
- some of them go stale,
- APIs get deprecated,
- Upgrades break your code,
- and critical features gather dust in issue trackers.
You know the problem: open source is free, but maintaining high-quality code isn't guaranteed.
of companies depend on OSS they don't fund
of critical packages are maintained by 1-2 people
average contribution per company using OSS
Pay for what you use.
Direct where it goes.
Create unified AI interface for open-source.
Ara isn't another GitHub Sponsors link gathering dust. It's a direct line between your engineering needs and maintainer capacity. Monthly funding gets you real influence over roadmaps, not just warm feelings.
Prevent Deprecation
Vote to keep APIs you depend on alive. Stop breaking changes from blindsiding your team three sprints from now.
Request Features
Need TypeScript support? Better error handling? Move features from someday to funded and prioritized.
Sponsor Mentorship
Fund students to contribute under maintainer guidance. Build the next generation while getting real commits merged.
AI Customization
Get a personalized AI interface trained on the project. Ask questions, generate examples, debug faster.
Why this won't turn into vaporware
Transparent fund allocation
Every dollar tracked. See exactly where your funding goes, who it pays, and what gets built. Public ledger, zero handwaving.
Maintainers stay in control
This isn't corporate takeover disguised as sponsorship. Maintainers choose which funded requests to accept. You fund, they decide, everyone wins.
No lock-in, ever
Monthly funding. Cancel anytime. The code stays open source. Your influence is proportional to your support, period.
Built by people who ship code
Not VC-funded suits. Not well-meaning activists. Engineers who've dealt with unmaintained dependencies and want to fix the incentive structure.
Questions skeptics ask
Also, let's stay connected!
Ara is currently a solo-dev work. More about me is on /people .
