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Hyperledger is the name of an enterprise open-source blockchain and distributed-ledger project community, hosted by the Linux Foundation, and of the brand that identifies its projects. It is not one blockchain, token, or software package. The former hyperledger.org address now redirects to LF Decentralized Trust, which describes itself as the Linux Foundation’s flagship organization for decentralized systems, so that is the umbrella to check for current governance, announcements, and project listings.

What the Hyperledger name covers

The Hyperledger Foundation Charter, published by The Linux Foundation, still uses the older Hyperledger Foundation name in its title. It states the community’s purpose in one sentence:

“Foster and coordinate the premier community of software developers building enterprise grade open source software, in the form of platforms, libraries, tools and solutions, for multiparty systems using blockchain, distributed ledger, and related technologies.”

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Two phrases carry most of the meaning. “Multiparty systems” points to software meant for settings where several organizations share a ledger or process rather than one company running everything. “Platforms, libraries, tools and solutions” shows that the output ranges from core ledger software to finished application stacks.

The charter also says that technical projects may be overseen either by a Technical Oversight Committee or by separate technical oversight defined in a project-specific technical charter. Governance can therefore differ from one project to the next.

Who runs it now

The current umbrella: LF Decentralized Trust

Visiting the former Hyperledger address redirects to LF Decentralized Trust. Its homepage states that it is “The Linux Foundation’s flagship organization for the development and deployment of decentralized systems and technologies.” Older articles, repositories, and search results may still use the Hyperledger name, but the Hyperledger brand now sits inside this organization.

What happened to the old technical oversight body

The legacy Hyperledger TOC website says that, as part of the transition to LF Decentralized Trust, the Technical Oversight Committee became the LF Decentralized Trust TAC. It keeps its older documents online as historical artifacts. The site does not date the change or explain why it was made, so the date of the transition should be treated as unconfirmed.

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Why the 2022 charter is historical context

The charter was adopted January 22, 2016 and last amended October 7, 2022. Its membership classes and TOC composition describe how the community was organized at that time. Read them as charter provisions, not as a description of current bodies, since the TOC has already been replaced by the TAC.

The projects that carry the name

The LF Decentralized Trust project directory lists several distinct projects. They share a community and a brand, but they do different jobs.

Besu

Besu is an open-source Ethereum client, developed under the Apache 2.0 license and written in Java. It fits when the requirement is Ethereum node software, not a general-purpose framework for designing a new ledger.

Hyperledger Cacti

Cacti is described as a blockchain integration tool for securely integrating different blockchains. It addresses applications that must work across more than one chain, rather than on a single ledger.

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Hyperledger Fabric

Fabric is described as a blockchain framework implementation intended as a modular foundation for applications and solutions. It suits teams that want to assemble their own application on a framework instead of adopting a finished product.

Hyperledger FireFly

The directory calls FireFly an open-source “Supernode” and a complete stack for enterprises to build and scale secure Web3 applications. Where Fabric is described as a foundation to build on, FireFly is described as a fuller stack, so more of the application layer comes with it.

Project Role as the directory describes it Language License
Besu Open-source Ethereum client Java Apache 2.0
Hyperledger Cacti Blockchain integration tool Not stated in the directory Not stated in the directory
Hyperledger Fabric Modular framework implementation for applications and solutions Not stated in the directory Not stated in the directory
Hyperledger FireFly Open-source “Supernode” and enterprise Web3 application stack Not stated in the directory Not stated in the directory

The directory assigns lifecycle labels such as “Graduated” and “Incubating.” The label for each project is not reproduced in this article, so check the project’s directory entry.

Choosing between projects

The directory’s project matrix compares projects on purpose, languages, consensus mechanisms, smart-contract functionality, and token types. Work through the following steps for each project on your shortlist.

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  1. Match the role to the need: a node client (Besu), an integration layer across chains (Cacti), a modular framework to build on (Fabric), or a fuller application stack (FireFly).
  2. Check language and license against your team’s stack and policy. Besu’s Java language and Apache 2.0 license are the only ones stated in the table above, so confirm the rest in each entry.
  3. Compare consensus mechanism, smart-contract functionality, and supported token types in the directory matrix.
  4. Read the lifecycle label as an indicator of project maturity within the foundation’s process. It is not a verdict on whether a project is ready for your production environment, which needs its own testing.
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Contributing and membership

The charter says anyone may propose a contribution to a project’s technical codebase, regardless of membership status. Contributor and maintainer roles in technical projects are also open to anyone. Organizational membership is a separate question, and the charter describes membership categories and the rights attached to each.

Because the charter dates from 2022 and the TOC site records a later change, confirm current membership terms with LF Decentralized Trust before describing them in a proposal or contract.

Certifications and implementation support

The LF Decentralized Trust homepage lists two certifications: Besu Certified Professional and Hyperledger Fabric Certified Practitioner. It also directs organizations that need help deploying a project to implementation support from project community leaders or Certified Service Providers. Check the homepage for current certification details and provider information.

What the evidence does and does not establish

  • No adoption figure is quoted here. None could be tied to a dated, attributed source, so claims about how widely enterprises use these platforms should be treated with caution.
  • Testimonials on the LF Decentralized Trust homepage are promotional remarks from stakeholders, not independent measurements of performance.
  • No named-person statement explains the brand transition from Hyperledger to LF Decentralized Trust, so the reasons for the change are not described here.
  • The official project listings describe software frameworks and tools. The directory entries used here carry no per-project language or license data beyond Besu’s, so those values are shown as not stated.

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