Tech At Bloomberg

Open Source

We believe open source software is a key driver of innovation not only within our business, but across the global tech industry. Over the last two decades, Bloomberg has undergone a journey and cultural shift in becoming an ‘open source first’ company. Today, our engineers are actively engaged in the open source ecosystem as both users and contributors. Hundreds of global employees, from senior leadership down, are encouraged to get involved in our open source efforts, with Bloomberg’s Open Source Program Office (OSPO) within the Office of the CTO spearheading our efforts to produce, publish and support open source software.

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Active users of open source

Active users of open source

Bloomberg sits at the intersection of high-availability, low-latency and large-scale computing, which leads us to take a very pragmatic approach to using open source software to address complex problems. We choose open source for new infrastructure needs even when it may only meet 80% of our requirements.

Because of the unique technical constraints we face in finance, we prefer tweaking and extending high-quality, web scale open source solutions to address our needs rather than using proprietary or source-available solutions.

Come hear our engineers speak at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2022

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Tuesday, May 17, 2022 | KnativeCon Europe 2022

 

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2022

Bloomberg’s systems and applications must satisfy the four Vs principle, delivering value to our clients in global capital markets through the amount, speed, heterogeneity and accuracy of our financial data.

Hundreds of open source projects are currently in use in our products and infrastructure.

View some of the open source projects we’re using

The CEPH logo is a round, red icon with two concentric circles surrounding a dot. The two circles open at the bottom.The CEPH logo is a round, red icon with two concentric circles surrounding a dot. The two circles open at the bottom.
The Kubernetes logo is a blue heptagon with a white ship helm in the center. The heptagon rounded corners and a white border.The Kubernetes logo is a blue heptagon with a white ship helm in the center. The heptagon rounded corners and a white border.

The Kafka logo is a "K" made up of five inter-connected O-shaped dots.The Kafka logo is a "K" made up of five inter-connected O-shaped dots.
The Chromium logo is a three-tone light blue wheel with a blue dot in the center. The body of the wheel is stylized like it's spinning, with dark blue on the top, medium blue on the left, and light blue on the right.The Chromium logo is a three-tone light blue wheel with a blue dot in the center. The body of the wheel is stylized like it's spinning, with dark blue on the top, medium blue on the left, and light blue on the right.

Contributors to open source projects

Contributors to open source projects

Our engineers are active members of the open source community, contributing their skills and passion to a wide variety of initiatives. Hundreds of our employees have contributed code, documentation, tests or other significant enhancements and improvements to projects for the benefit of the tech community.

In some areas especially relevant to our compute and data science infrastructure, Bloomberg engineers have earned leadership positions as committers, maintainers, technical steering committee (TSC) and project management community (PMC) members. They also sit on foundation boards and standards committees, including those directing the future of the C++, Python and JavaScript programming languages.

“As an ‘open source first’ company, Bloomberg encourages and makes it easy for our engineers to learn about, contribute to, and lead in open source innovation.”

Alyssa Wright

Member, Open Source Program Office, Office of the CTO

Our engineers have held governance roles on a number of notable open source projects, including:

The Apache logo is an all-caps red, thin "Apache" text on the right with a feather on the left. The feature is upright like a writing quill and ranges from purple at the bottom to red in the body and yellow at the tip.The Apache logo is an all-caps red, thin "Apache" text on the right with a feather on the left. The feature is upright like a writing quill and ranges from purple at the bottom to red in the body and yellow at the tip.
The Apache Cassandra open source software logo is a blue cartoon eye with sharp, long, black eyelashes. Underneath the eye is an all-lowercase block of text reading "cassandra".The Apache Cassandra open source software logo is a blue cartoon eye with sharp, long, black eyelashes. Underneath the eye is an all-lowercase block of text reading "cassandra".
The Apache Hadoop logo is a yellow cartoon elephant with a light blue all-lowercase "Hadoop" text to the right.The Apache Hadoop logo is a yellow cartoon elephant with a light blue all-lowercase "Hadoop" text to the right.
The Apache Lucene logo is a seafoam-green/blue all-caps "Apache Lucene" with a stylized vector indicating motion on the left side.The Apache Lucene logo is a seafoam-green/blue all-caps "Apache Lucene" with a stylized vector indicating motion on the left side.
The BQPlot logo is a round graphic with a body made up of gray graph lines. On top of the graph lines are light green, dark green, and red squiggly lines which cross the graph and connect with a black paint brush handle.The BQPlot logo is a round graphic with a body made up of gray graph lines. On top of the graph lines are light green, dark green, and red squiggly lines which cross the graph and connect with a black paint brush handle.
The C++ logo is a blue hexacon with three shades of blue. At the center of the logo is a large, white "C" and to small plus signs.The C++ logo is a blue hexacon with three shades of blue. At the center of the logo is a large, white "C" and to small plus signs.
The Cloud Native Buildpacks logo is three chevrons stacked in a triangle. The bottom-left chevron is dark blue, the top chevron is light blue, and the bottom-right chevron is magenta.The Cloud Native Buildpacks logo is three chevrons stacked in a triangle. The bottom-left chevron is dark blue, the top chevron is light blue, and the bottom-right chevron is magenta.
The KServe logo is a blue heptagon with a white cloud outlined in the center. Inside the cloud is a rising chart arrow with climbs to the upper right and ends in an arrow. Under the cloud but still inside the heptagon is a thin, white "KServe" text.The KServe logo is a blue heptagon with a white cloud outlined in the center. Inside the cloud is a rising chart arrow with climbs to the upper right and ends in an arrow. Under the cloud but still inside the heptagon is a thin, white "KServe" text.
The Openstack logo is a thick red square with rounded corners, giving the impression of the letter "O", despite the boxy shape.The Openstack logo is a thick red square with rounded corners, giving the impression of the letter "O", despite the boxy shape.
The Jupyter logo is built to symbolize the planet Jupiter with three orbiting moons. The body of Jupiter is made up of two orange outlines centering around a thin, white "jupyter" text.The Jupyter logo is built to symbolize the planet Jupiter with three orbiting moons. The body of Jupiter is made up of two orange outlines centering around a thin, white "jupyter" text.
The Python icon is a combination of two stylized snakes intertwined to form a soft-edged "plus" sign. The snake on the top left is blue and the bottom-right snake is yellow.The Python icon is a combination of two stylized snakes intertwined to form a soft-edged "plus" sign. The snake on the top left is blue and the bottom-right snake is yellow.
The SQLite logo is a blue box which ends abruptly in a darker blue upright feather. To the right is a thin serif font reading "SQLite".The SQLite logo is a blue box which ends abruptly in a darker blue upright feather. To the right is a thin serif font reading "SQLite".

Collaborating with the global community

Collaborating with the global community

We are committed to sustaining and broadening the scope of innovation through direct collaboration with open source communities. In academia, Bloomberg funds research that produces new or enhanced libraries, as well as teams that directly create and extend projects relevant to our products, including Project Jupyter and JupyterLab.

We host events, sponsor projects and provide access to the knowledge and experience of our engineers. Since 2013, we have hosted Open Source Day/Weekend events that bring together our employees, community members and students to sprint on open issues in an open source project.

Projects that have benefited include Git, Clang/LLVM, Eclipse, Python, Perl, pandas, NumPy, SciPy and Matplotlib. We also fund improvements to open source projects that are important to our engineers, such as the development of CSS Grid Layout in Chromium, the addition of BigInt and other features in WebAssembly, and improvements in GNU Autoconf and version 3 of Psycopg.

Each year, we proudly provide financial support to a variety of technology community organizations, in addition to sponsoring and speaking at dozens of relevant conferences.

In an effort to enable direct employee engagement to help sustain the open source projects critical to our work, Bloomberg’s OSPO has partnered with the company’s Corporate Philanthropy team to launch the Bloomberg FOSS Contributor Fund.

Technology community organizations

The Apache Gold Sponsor logo is a gold ring, laden with "Gold Sponsor" text wrapped around it. Inside the ring is the Apache feature, positioned like a writing quill, and colored with purple at the bottom, ranging upward to red, then orange at the top. Underneath the wring is thin, red text reading "Apache" in all caps.The Apache Gold Sponsor logo is a gold ring, laden with "Gold Sponsor" text wrapped around it. Inside the ring is the Apache feature, positioned like a writing quill, and colored with purple at the bottom, ranging upward to red, then orange at the top. Underneath the wring is thin, red text reading "Apache" in all caps.
The Python Software Foundation Visionary logo is a black arch. In the top half of the arch is a black-colored eye on a blue background. In the bottom half of the arch is all-caps white text reading "Visionary", followed by a small Python Software Foundation logo.The Python Software Foundation Visionary logo is a black arch. In the top half of the arch is a black-colored eye on a blue background. In the bottom half of the arch is all-caps white text reading "Visionary", followed by a small Python Software Foundation logo.
The C++ logo is a blue hexacon with three shades of blue. At the center of the logo is a large, white "C" and to small plus signs.The C++ logo is a blue hexacon with three shades of blue. At the center of the logo is a large, white "C" and to small plus signs.
The NumFocus logo is mostly text. On the left, in thin orange letters is the all-caps "NUM". On the right, in a dark teal blue, is the all-caps "FOCUS". Inside the "O" of "Focus" are two text brackets in orange. Underneath the "NUMFOCUS" portion of the logo is a dark blue-teal "Open Code = Better Science".The NumFocus logo is mostly text. On the left, in thin orange letters is the all-caps "NUM". On the right, in a dark teal blue, is the all-caps "FOCUS". Inside the "O" of "Focus" are two text brackets in orange. Underneath the "NUMFOCUS" portion of the logo is a dark blue-teal "Open Code = Better Science".
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation Silver Member logo contains a two-tone blue Cloud Native icon on the left and text reading "Cloud Native Computing Foundation" on the right. Underneath that section is a blue bar with white text reading, "Silver Member"The Cloud Native Computing Foundation Silver Member logo contains a two-tone blue Cloud Native icon on the left and text reading "Cloud Native Computing Foundation" on the right. Underneath that section is a blue bar with white text reading, "Silver Member"
The OpenAPI Initiative logo is a green and gray pie chart with a dotted line rising up and to the right from the center. To the right is gray all-caps text reading "OPEN API" with a small green all-caps "Initiative" written underneath and set to the right.The OpenAPI Initiative logo is a green and gray pie chart with a dotted line rising up and to the right from the center. To the right is gray all-caps text reading "OPEN API" with a small green all-caps "Initiative" written underneath and set to the right.
The OpenJS Foundation logo has a stylized graphic on the left and text on the right. The graphic is a hexagon with corner interconnected with straight lines. The graphic fades from blue on the top left, through green, to yellow in the bottom right. The text portion of the logo has a bold "Open JS" stacked on top of a regular-weight "Foundation"The OpenJS Foundation logo has a stylized graphic on the left and text on the right. The graphic is a hexagon with corner interconnected with straight lines. The graphic fades from blue on the top left, through green, to yellow in the bottom right. The text portion of the logo has a bold "Open JS" stacked on top of a regular-weight "Foundation"
The SQLite logo is a blue box which ends abruptly in a darker blue upright feather. To the right is a thin serif font reading "SQLite".The SQLite logo is a blue box which ends abruptly in a darker blue upright feather. To the right is a thin serif font reading "SQLite".
The Outreachy logo has a light blue background, which is offset in three steps with move right as they move up. Inside is white all-caps text reading "OUTREACHY" and underlined with a thin white thread.The Outreachy logo has a light blue background, which is offset in three steps with move right as they move up. Inside is white all-caps text reading "OUTREACHY" and underlined with a thin white thread.
The OpenSSF logo is a blue duck robot carrying a golden shield. Underneath is the text "OpenSSF".The OpenSSF logo is a blue duck robot carrying a golden shield. Underneath is the text "OpenSSF".
The TODO logo is a green circle with two white forward slashes inside. To the right is thin all-caps text reading "TODO".The TODO logo is a green circle with two white forward slashes inside. To the right is thin all-caps text reading "TODO".
The USENIX Association logo is a semi-ring stylized to look like it's still being built by blocks. The ring fades between dark red, red, orange, and yellow. Underneath is black text reading, "USENIX ASSOCIATION" in all-caps.The USENIX Association logo is a semi-ring stylized to look like it's still being built by blocks. The ring fades between dark red, red, orange, and yellow. Underneath is black text reading, "USENIX ASSOCIATION" in all-caps.
The CEPH logo is a round, red icon with two concentric circles surrounding a dot. The two circles open at the bottom.The CEPH logo is a round, red icon with two concentric circles surrounding a dot. The two circles open at the bottom.
The Open Source Initiative Premier logo is round with a centered white medal with a green background. The green background is surrounded by a white ring containing the text "Open Source Initiative Premier" wrapping around it. Outside that ring is a black border.The Open Source Initiative Premier logo is round with a centered white medal with a green background. The green background is surrounded by a white ring containing the text "Open Source Initiative Premier" wrapping around it. Outside that ring is a black border.
The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Foundation logo is a black round circle with a wasp inside it; here it is shown with its OWASP wordmark combination.
The Open Open Infrastructure Foundation logo is a black rectangle with the words OpenInfra Foundation in white on the right side of an arrow pointing up and to the right made up of red, green, blue and orange elements. Underneath the black box is a gold rectangle with the words "Gold Member" in black text.The Open Open Infrastructure Foundation logo is a black rectangle with the words OpenInfra Foundation in white on the right side of an arrow pointing up and to the right made up of red, green, blue and orange elements. Underneath the black box is a gold rectangle with the words "Gold Member" in black text.
Logo of the Eclipse Foundation, of which Bloomberg is a Contributing Member.Logo of the Eclipse Foundation, of which Bloomberg is a Contributing Member.
Logo of the Cloud Foundry Foundation

Sharing open source built at Bloomberg

Sharing open source built at Bloomberg

Open source tools created at Bloomberg to solve problems with cloud infrastructure, information retrieval, data science, natural language processing, mobile application development and more have been published on GitHub for others to use in solving real-world problems. Examples include PowerfulSeal, ipydatagrid, Comdb2, Goldpinger, xcdiff, and amqpprox.

Several open source projects born at Bloomberg have been spun out and are now supported by communities with their own governance:

  • The Solr Operator, developed by Bloomberg engineers to manage Apache Solr Clouds within Kubernetes, was donated to the Apache Solr project.
  • Our bqplot interactive plotting and charting library for Jupyter notebooks is now a NumFOCUS Affiliated Project.
  • KServe, a simple, yet powerful, Kubernetes Custom Resource for deploying machine learning (ML) models at scale, was co-developed and led by Bloomberg engineers prior to the community contributing it to the LF AI & Data Foundation, where it is now a full-fledged Incubation Project.

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