Open source has been on the rise for the past few decades. From small startups to large enterprises, open source has now become a crucial part of the software development process. While open source is often thought of as simply a free alternative to proprietary software, it is actually so much more than that. 

In this article, we will explore the reasons why open source has been so successful, the areas where it has not been as successful, and the differences between open source and free tiers of software, with a deeper look on the data infrastructure industry.