What is Open edX?
Open edX is a free, open-source learning management system (LMS) and course authoring platform originally developed in 2012 to power edX.org. Today it is stewarded by Axim Collaborative, a nonprofit founded by its original creators.
The platform serves over 140 million learners across 196 countries, deployed by universities (Stanford, Arizona State University), enterprises (Google, Microsoft, IBM, AWS, McKinsey, Johnson & Johnson), government and international organizations (NASA, the IMF, Amnesty International), and technology companies (MongoDB).
Open edX is released under the AGPLv3 and Apache 2.0 licenses with source code publicly available on GitHub. There are no licensing fees. Organizations handle hosting and maintenance either self-managed or through a service provider in the official Open edX Marketplace. (https://openedx.org/partners/)
The project follows a biannual release cycle. The latest stable release is Verawood (June 2026), the 22nd community release. Willow is planned for December 2026.
Built on Python/Django with a microservices architecture, the platform is containerized via Docker, deployed using Tutor, and supports Kubernetes for production-scale environments.
Open edX is formally certified as LTI Advantage Complete by 1EdTech for LTI 1.3, Deep Linking 2.0, Assignment & Grade Services 2.0, and Names & Role Provisioning Services 2.0 across multiple releases. Its XBlock architecture enables custom interactive content types — simulations, virtual labs, AR/VR experiences, and peer assessments — without modifying the platform core. Content delivery is supported in dozens of languages, with Arabic, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Chinese among the fastest-growing deployments. Governance through Axim Collaborative and its Technical Oversight Committee ensures long-term direction is shaped by community priorities.
