OctoPrint, one of the most prominent open-source tools in the 3D printing community, has suffered a significant loss in funding, says Gina Häussge, OctoPrint’s creator and full-time maintainer.
At one point or another (if it isn’t still) OctoPrint has been the de facto way to connect 3D printers to your local network and add remote monitoring and control, and is still used by what Häussge says is an “all-time high” of at least 150,000 users.
“Long story short,” Häussge says in a recent blog post on the software’s website, “if things continue the way they are, I will have to throw in the towel, and that will be the end of OctoPrint for me.”
Häussge cites the current “financial crisis” as the source of OctoPrint’s woes saying that contributions have shrunk by over 30% since 2021, mostly over the last 12 months, despite the software’s growing user base.
“If you are using OctoPrint and can afford to support its development, please consider doing so,” Häussge says. “Even a small amount helps, and if enough people chip in, it can make a huge difference. Even more so when it’s given recurringly.”
The blog post ends with a note that financial support will become a more prominent topic in the future, with OctoPrint 1.10.0 adding “options to financially support [Häussge’s] work on OctoPrint” and changes to OctoPrint’s website and forums to highlight support options. So, help OctoPrint by spreading the word!
For more details, and a list of ways you can contribute, visit Häussge’s recent post on the OctoPrint blog; or just contribute via OctoPrint’s GitHub or Patreon.
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License: The text of "OctoPrint Needs Your Help" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.