Get involved
Every community deserves tools that serve them — not the other way around.
Who this is for
A community to serve
Whether you're a non-profit, civic group, or local government
Commitment to openness
Keep modifications open under AGPL-3.0 so everyone benefits
Shared values
Support the civic mission of empowering citizens
Capacity to sustain
Ability to maintain and grow your deployment over time
What your community gets
Every deployment comes with these capabilities built in.
Works offline
Progressive web app for access without an internet connection
Multi-language
English and Spanish at launch
Accessible
WCAG 2.2 AA compliant out of the box
Guided onboarding
New users are walked through setup step by step
Abuse reporting
Community-driven moderation for misleading content
Data export
Your community's civic research is always portable
How it works
Start the conversation
Tell us about your community and what you're trying to achieve.
Build your team
Identify who will steward this for your community.
Launch together
We'll help you deploy, customize, and go live.
Strengthen the network
Your learnings and improvements help other communities.
For developers
Opus Populi is open source. Individual contributors are welcome — not just communities.
Code
React 19 + Next.js 16 frontend, NestJS microservices, GraphQL Federation APIs, and 16 pluggable provider packages.
Region plugins
Add your jurisdiction's data sources so your community can access local civic information.
Documentation
Guides, API docs, tutorials, and onboarding materials for new contributors.
Translations
Help expand language support beyond English and Spanish.
Accessibility
Maintain and extend WCAG 2.2 AA compliance — keyboard navigation, screen reader support, and high contrast.
Testing
Unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests for civic infrastructure.
Infrastructure costs
Monthly estimates. Each community manages their own infrastructure.
Suitable for setting up and evaluating the platform
Database, compute, storage, and AI processing for a typical community
Scaled infrastructure for larger jurisdictions with heavy usage
Ready to talk?
We're preparing for launch. Tell us about your community, your jurisdiction, and how you'd like to use the platform.
Contact UsFrequently asked questions
Do I need to join the network?
No. The code is open source — you can run it independently. The network offers optional benefits like shared infrastructure, community support, and collective improvements.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes. The *.opuspopuli.org subdomain is optional. Your deployment, your identity.
What license is the code under?
AGPL-3.0. This means you can use, modify, and deploy the code freely, but any modifications must also be open source. This ensures the civic commons stays open.
Does the AI send data to external services?
No. All AI processing runs locally on your own infrastructure using open-source models. Your civic research never leaves your network.
How is user privacy protected?
Privacy is built into the architecture — local AI processing, imprecise location matching, passwordless auth, short-lived sessions, and zero third-party trackers. See our privacy architecture for details.
How can developers contribute?
Fork the repo, pick an issue labeled "good first issue," and submit a PR. We review promptly. See our open source page for the full guide.
What if we need help?
We're here to help communities succeed. Contact us about support options that fit your needs.
How much technical expertise does our community need?
Deployment is handled through Infrastructure as Code — you don't need to write application code. A team member comfortable with basic server administration and Docker can get a community instance running. We provide documentation and support throughout the process.
Can we customize the platform for our region?
Yes. Region plugins let you connect your jurisdiction's data sources through declarative configuration — no coding required. You can also customize branding, feature toggles, and content to match your community's needs.
What kind of ongoing maintenance is needed?
Primarily software updates from upstream (security patches and new features), periodic data source monitoring to ensure civic feeds remain connected, and community moderation if you enable user-facing features. Most updates can be applied with a single command.
Is there a demo we can try?
The California pilot is launching in 2026. The full platform is built and running in development — contact us to discuss early access or schedule a walkthrough.