The path toward open source video infrastructure in Europe

We’re building toward a more fully open source Mave, step by step: open standards, no lock-in, real portability, privacy by design. Not because “open source” is a nice label, but because we think it is the right way to build video infrastructure in Europe.

Most video infrastructure on the web is still controlled by closed platforms that track your users and quietly lock you in. What starts as a simple embed quickly becomes a dependency, technically, legally, and operationally.

And with AI making it easier than ever to generate and replicate code, the value of keeping your codebase hidden is going down fast. What actually matters is how your infrastructure is designed, how it is operated, and whether people can trust it over time.

From video tools to scalable video infrastructure

Mave was built to make video simple: a lightweight embed, fast performance, no cookies, and fully hosted in Europe. But simplicity alone is not enough.

As organizations grow, new questions emerge: can we move away if we need to? Can we verify how it works? Or are we locked into a system we don’t control?

These are not just technical questions, they are questions about autonomy. And for many organizations, that dependency is no longer acceptable. Across Europe, we notice the shift in conversation. From convenience to control. From features to sovereignty.

Digital sovereignty in video: more than EU data hosting

For a long time, digital sovereignty was reduced to one thing: where your data is stored. But location alone does not create control.

True sovereignty is broader. It requires:

• Transparency: understanding how systems operate
• Portability: the ability to move without friction
• Independence: freedom from hidden dependencies
• Control: over data, infrastructure, and access

This is where most video platforms fall short today. They may host data in Europe. But the underlying systems remain closed, opaque, and difficult to leave. And that’s where sovereignty breaks.

Why we are sharing this direction now

We are not starting from scratch. Parts of Mave are already open source, like our frontend library that powers our player and our privacy-first analytics tool, which handles how views are processed.

We also build on and learn from strong open-source examples that already prove what this can look like. Projects like FFmpeg are part of the foundation of modern video infrastructure, and they continue to shape how we think about this space. At the same time, product-focused companies like Proton, Nextcloud, and Cal.com show that openness can also be part of building trusted, usable software that organizations depend on every day. For example, in this Vivaldi podcast conversation, Andy Yen (Proton CEO) explains why openness matters for trust, accountability, and long-term independence.

We are sharing this already as an early announcement of the direction we are taking. Not because the transition is finished, but because the principles behind it already shape how we think about Mave. There is a lot to consider in building video infrastructure this way, from security and privacy to reliability, maintenance, and how different parts of the stack should be opened up responsibly. So we are not “switching to open source” overnight. We are building toward a more open, transparent, and portable video infrastructure as a whole, step by step. Because openness, in this context, is not about making code public alone. It is about reducing dependency, improving inspectability, and giving organizations real control over how video is delivered.

What open video infrastructure means in practice

For us, moving toward a more open Mave is grounded in a few clear principles. These principles guide how we design Mave - and how we reduce dependency at every layer of the stack.

1. Video infrastructure built on open standards (no lock-in)

Video infrastructure should not trap you. By prioritizing open standards, we ensure that integrations remain flexible, interoperable, and future-proof. Organizations should be able to integrate Mave into their stack and adapt or move when needed.

No lock-in by design. For example: we lean heavy on a protocol like S3, so you could use Garage or Alarik for example to maintain your files.

2. Transparent video infrastructure without black-box systems

Closed systems create uncertainty. We believe organizations should be able to understand how their video infrastructure works, from delivery to data handling.

That’s why we are working toward greater transparency in:

• How video is processed and delivered
• How privacy is enforced technically
• How integrations behave under the hood

Transparency doesn’t require everything to be public, but it does require everything to be understandable.

3. Remain a trusted European video partner: hosted, reliable, and built to last

Openness does not mean complexity. It means choice. While we move toward a more open infrastructure, Mave will always offer a fully hosted solution, optimized for fast, reliable video delivery within Europe.

For most organizations, this is the simplest path:

• No infrastructure to manage
• No performance trade-offs
• No compliance concerns

At the same time, we design our platform so you are never dependent on us in ways you can’t control. Because being a partner means more than providing technology. It means offering clarity, reliability, and the freedom to choose what works best for your organization.

4. Portable video infrastructure: keep control of your data

Perhaps the most important principle is this: you should always be able to move.

Whether it’s your data, your workflows, or your integrations - portability should be a given, not a risk.

We design Mave so that:

• Your video data remains yours
• Your integrations are not tied to proprietary constraints
• Your architecture remains adaptable

Because true control only exists when leaving is an option. If you can’t leave, you don’t control it.

Why European video sovereignty matters now

The need for sovereign digital infrastructure in Europe is growing. Organizations are re-evaluating their dependencies. Governments are defining new standards. Organizations are looking for technology that aligns with European values - not just in compliance, but in design. This shift is not about rejecting global technology.

It is about building infrastructure that is:

• Transparent
• Portable
• Privacy-first
• And under European control

Video should be part of that foundation.

Open source video infrastructure is a strategic choice

Open source is often treated as a label. But in reality, it is part of something bigger.

And like I mentioned before: AI makes code easier to generate and replicate, the value of code alone is decreasing. What matters more is how infrastructure is designed, operated, and trusted over time.

For Mave, that means the real value is not in keeping code hidden. It is in the way we build: with privacy-first principles, reliable European hosting, clear technical choices, and a product organizations can trust.

For Mave, openness is a strategic choice. A direction toward infrastructure that organizations can trust. That developers can understand. And that remains under their control.

The future of open video infrastructure starts here

We are just at the start of this journey. In the coming months, we will take concrete steps toward a more open Mave. We’ll be sharing more, opening more, and making the platform easier to understand and integrate on your terms.

Not all at once, but deliberately.

Because building truly sovereign infrastructure takes more than releasing code. It requires rethinking how control, transparency, and simplicity come together.

That is the direction we’re building toward: an open, European video infrastructure.

We’d love your perspective

We have a strong sense of the direction we want to take, but we also know we do not have every perspective yet. If you have ideas, questions, concerns, or lessons from your own work with video infrastructure, we’d genuinely love to hear from you. A lot of the insight we need may already sit with the people reading this.

If you have thoughts to share, you can reach us at support@mave.io or join our Discord to connect with the team and the community.