is*hosting Joins OpenSSL Foundation’s Code Protectors Program

This guest blog is from is*hosting, a hosting provider based in Tallinn, Estonia. 

OpenSSL Foundation exists, in large part, to help ensure that critical work remains sustainably funded. For many organizations, this dependency remains largely invisible. 

OpenSSL works, and the companies that rely on it often give little thought as to what it takes to keep it secure, maintained, and sustainable. 

is*hosting has operated hosting infrastructure since 2005 and serves customers through servers located in more than 40 locations worldwide. Every server is*hosting operates depends on OpenSSL. The encrypted traffic its customers send and receive relies on software maintained by a relatively small engineering team.  is*hosting is far from alone–OpenSSL underpins a substantial portion of the world’s secure internet infrastructure.

“Hosting providers sit close to the heart of internet infrastructure, making them natural stakeholders in the health of projects like OpenSSL. We welcome is*hosting’s support and hope it encourages other infrastructure companies to consider how they can contribute to the open source software they depend on.”
– Matt Caswell, Executive Director, OpenSSL Foundation

From Water Wells to Open-Source

In April 2025, is*hosting  launched Hosting for Good — a program built around a single premise: infrastructure should not be a barrier to making a positive impact, whether in the physical or digital world.

The program started in Kenya, where is*hosting funded four solar-powered water wells that now serve over 1,500 people. The initiative supported a doctor’s trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, helping transport prescription medicines and medical equipment that can be difficult to procure through individual donations.

"We started with physical infrastructure in Africa. When we turned to the digital world in March, 2026, the objective was the critical open-source infrastructure the whole internet depends on," says Misha Malikin, Brand & Partnerships Manager at is*hosting.

Today, Hosting for Good runs two complementary programs. The first continues its work supporting physical infrastructure initiatives in Africa. The second focuses on digital infrastructure by supporting open-source software the internet runs on, and by providing open-source projects, nonprofits, and independent media organizations with financial assistance and/or infrastructure resources.

As part of that effort, is*hosting became a sponsor of OpenSSL Foundation through its Code Protectors program, helping to support the continued maintenance, development, and security of the OpenSSL library.

The Lesson of Heartbleed

In 2014, Heartbleed turned an invisible dependency into a highly visible public crisis. A vulnerability in the OpenSSL Library potentially exposed sensitive information from a significant number of secure servers across the internet, drawing global attention to just how much critical infrastructure depended on a project maintained by a small team with limited resources.

The incident prompted a broader conversation about how critical open-source software is funded. In response, the Linux Foundation launched the Core Infrastructure Initiative, bringing together major tech companies to support OpenSSL and other critical open-source projects. 

Today, OpenSSL Foundation has a dedicated engineering team and a significantly stronger funding base than existed at the time of Heartbleed. Yet many organizations that rely on OpenSSL still do not directly contribute to its long-term sustainability.

For a hosting provider, the stakes here aren't abstract. is*hosting runs a Vulnerability Disclosure Program and manages infrastructure security on a daily basis.

"We didn't want to be another company that just depends on OpenSSL without thinking about what keeps it healthy," says Misha.

Why Hosting Providers Should Support OpenSSL

By joining OpenSSL Foundation's Code Protectors program, is*hosting is helping support the continued development and security of OpenSSL alongside other Code Protectors sponsors such as AWS, GitHub, Mercedes-Benz, NetApp, and SAP. The Foundation's broader funding base also includes Premier Supporters such as Cisco, Nominet, OpenSSL Corporation, and Sovereign Tech Agency. 

"Honestly, learning that relatively few hosting providers participate in programs like this was surprising," says Misha. "Hosting is one of the sectors that relies on OpenSSL most directly.” 

Hosting providers route and secure enormous volumes of customer traffic. is*hosting manages more than 100,000 servers for over 50,000 customers, and vulnerabilities affecting widely used security software can have far-reaching consequences across that infrastructure.

“There are a lot of companies that could make the same argument we're making here," Misha adds.

Beyond OpenSSL, is*hosting sponsors other foundational projects its own infrastructure depends on, including curl through GitHub Sponsors.

The company also offers an infrastructure grants program designed to help open-source projects and nonprofit organizations obtain the hosting services they need. Projects can apply through a short form; the bar is an Open-Source Initiative-approved license or registered nonprofit status, an active repository, and a clear hardware need. Eligible organizations can apply for free virtual private servers or a dedicated server for an initial 12-month period, with opportunities for hosting renewal every year. There is also a simple check-in at six months — to confirm that the server is still in use, and to learn how the project is going.

The is*hosting team can customize server configurations to meet a project's specific requirements. 

Infrastructure Shouldn't Be a Barrier

Across all of these efforts, the underlying principle remains the same: the infrastructure people rely on every day still requires ongoing investment, maintenance, and support. 

For organizations whose businesses depend on open-source software, contributing back to the projects they rely on is both a practical investment and a way to strengthen the broader internet ecosystem.

If you operate hosting infrastructure, OpenSSL is almost certainly part of the technology stack your customers depend on. Supporting the OpenSSL Foundation’s Code Protectors program is one way to help ensure that the software securing those connections remains robust, actively maintained, and sustainable for the future.

Learn more about Hosting for Good at ishosting.com/for-good

Learn more about OpenSSL Foundation’s Code Protectors program at openssl.foundation/donate/code-protectors

Author bio: Aliaksandra Ihumentsava is Content Lead at is*hosting, where she has spent the last four years. She moved into infrastructure and technology writing from journalism, bringing an editorial background and a marketing degree to the work. She leads the team that documents what is*hosting builds and the programs it runs, Hosting for Good among them.