# Why isn't Apollo Explorer open source?

DevFeed: [Why isn't Apollo Explorer open source?](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/why-isn-t-apollo-explorer-open-source-23600.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.apollographql.com/blog/why-isnt-apollo-explorer-open-source>)

Author: Danielle Man

Published: 2023-03-29T10:22:31Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Apollo Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/apollo-blog.md>)

Topics: [GraphQL](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/graphql.md>), [GraphOS](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/graphos.md>), [Software as a service](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/saas.md>), [Open Source](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/open-source.md>), [Maintainers](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/maintainers.md>)

Tags: [graphos](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/graphos.md>), [graphql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/graphql.md>), [life-at-apollo](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/life-at-apollo.md>), [maintainers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/maintainers.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [saas](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/saas.md>)

## AI overview

An Apollo author explains why Apollo Explorer is not open source, contrasting it with GraphiQL and discussing the maintenance responsibility of popular open-source projects. Apollo chose to build Explorer within GraphOS Studio to pursue its product vision directly.

## Source excerpt

A question I get a lot from folks within Apollo and outside the company alike is: Why isn't Apollo Explorer open source? GraphiQL is open source and is the tool that helped a lot of us write our very first GraphQL queries. Explorer is like a super-charged GraphiQL, so therefore it should be open source too, no? In the spirit of open source, I thought I'd write down my philosophy on this topic here in a quick blog post for y'all.