Any doubts that one may have about the quality of code produced through open source can be vanquished for the moment—as we follow Netflix’s utilization of open source in its products. You can’t argue with the results. Since the international provider of on-demand Internet streaming began its modest DVD-by-mail service back in 1997, the company has exploded onto the global stage as the leading Internet television network, with over 100 million hours of TV shows and movies being streamed by users each day.
Much of Netflix’s success can be attributed to the open source environment that it has created for its products and services. Since Netflix began to realize the benefits of making its software available through open source, the company has released more than 50 projects for input on its Github page. And due to its open source preference, usage and success in code software development, Netflix has assisted in legitimizing open source as a powerful tool for many organizations.
Case in point, Netflix has benefitted from a quicker time to market for its offerings. Utilizing its open source page, Netflix claims it can bring a new feature to customers in just days—a process that previously took about a month. By leveraging open source Nexflix is able to accelerate time to market while managing costs. For the large projects Netflix has in the works, open source allows the company to break tasks into more manageable independent sections. This improves not only quality in the end product but in the speed of release as well.
Furthermore, Netflix has been using open source as a way to identify and hire talented software engineers; this, in turn, has attracted a large pool of talent, further enhancing the company’s skill set and its reputation as a provider of best-in-class solutions.
Utilizing open source as a shared ecosystem has allowed Netflix to flourish. With the contributions of many developers in the production of its projects, Netflix has established an excellent working model for other large companies to follow.