# GitHub Archive Program

> preserve open source software for future generations

**Wikidata**: [Q97639518](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q97639518)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GitHub_Archive_Program)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/github-archive-program

## Summary
The GitHub Archive Program is a project initiated in 2019 with the mission of preserving open-source software for future generations. It operates within the field of software preservation, classifying as both a project and a form of computer storage media. The program collaborates with various global organizations to ensure the long-term stewardship and accessibility of open-source code.

## Key Facts
- **Inception:** The program was established in 2019.
- **Mission:** Its official motto is "Preserving open source software for future generations."
- **Aliases:** Also known as the "2020 Arctic Vault program" and accessible via `archiveprogram.github.com`.
- **Instance Of:** Classified as a project and computer storage media.
- **Field of Work:** Software preservation.
- **Partners:** Collaborates with the Long Now Foundation, Internet Archive, Software Heritage, Arctic World Archive, Microsoft Research, Bodleian Library, and Stanford University Libraries.
- **Focus:** Interested specifically in open-source software.

## FAQs
### Q: When was the GitHub Archive Program launched?
A: The GitHub Archive Program was inceptioned in 2019.

### Q: What is the primary goal of the GitHub Archive Program?
A: The program aims to preserve open-source software for future generations, ensuring that digital data remains readable and accessible via computer storage media.

### Q: Which organizations partner with the GitHub Archive Program?
A: The program partners with several major institutions, including the Internet Archive, Software Heritage, the Arctic World Archive, Microsoft Research, the Long Now Foundation, and the university libraries of Stanford and Oxford (Bodleian).

## Why It Matters
The GitHub Archive Program addresses the critical need for software preservation in an era of rapid technological change. As the infrastructure of the modern world relies heavily on open-source code, the risk of losing this digital heritage to decay, obsolescence, or deletion is significant. By treating software as a cultural and functional artifact, the program ensures that future generations—ranging from historians to developers—can access, study, and utilize the foundational code of the early 21st century.

This initiative is significant because it transcends simple data backup; it involves stewardship in partnership with renowned archival bodies like the Internet Archive and the Bodleian Library. It solves the problem of "bit rot" and data loss by utilizing specialized computer storage media and diverse geographic locations, such as the Arctic World Archive. In doing so, the program safeguards human knowledge and technological history, reinforcing the permanence of the open-source movement.

## Notable For
- **Long-Term Preservation:** Distinguished by its explicit focus on stewarding software so that it remains usable for future generations.
- **Global Partnerships:** Notable for its coalition of diverse partners, ranging from tech giants (Microsoft Research) to cultural heritage institutions (Bodleian Library, Internet Archive).
- **Arctic Storage:** Known specifically as the "2020 Arctic Vault program," highlighting its use of extreme geographical and environmental storage solutions.
- **Scope:** Focuses exclusively on the preservation of open-source software, a critical component of global digital infrastructure.

## Body
### Mission and Scope
The GitHub Archive Program is a dedicated initiative focused on the stewardship of software. Its core objective, defined by its motto text, is to "preserve open source software for future generations." The program classifies itself as a "project" involving "computer storage media," specifically targeting the field of "software preservation." It is designed to ensure that actions related to stewarding software are maintained so that the data can be used in the future.

### Organizational Structure and Partners
Established in 2019, the GitHub Archive Program operates through a network of strategic partnerships aimed at ensuring redundancy and longevity. Key collaborating entities include:
*   **Cultural & Historical Archives:** The Long Now Foundation, Internet Archive, Bodleian Library, and Stanford University Libraries.
*   **Software-Specific Archives:** Software Heritage.
*   **Specialized Storage:** The Arctic World Archive.
*   **Research:** Microsoft Research.

### Technical Identity
The program is accessible to the public via its website at `archiveprogram.github.com`. It is recognized in Wikidata with the title "GitHub Archive Program" and is described simply as an effort to "preserve open source software for future generations." It is closely related to the broader concept of "computer storage media," defined as the storage of digital data readable by computers.

## References

1. [Source](https://siliconangle.com/2020/07/16/github-preserves-open-source-software-code-deep-arctic-future-generations/)
2. [Source](https://github.blog/2020-07-16-github-archive-program-the-journey-of-the-worlds-open-source-code-to-the-arctic/)
3. [Source](https://archiveprogram.github.com/)