Mercurial, 20 years and counting: how are we still alive and kicking? [video]

Mercurial, a distributed version control system launched in 2005, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with ongoing development and active community support, despite having been overshadowed by Git since the 2010s.

The talk at FOSDEM 2026, a major open-source conference, detailed Mercurial’s history, highlighting its continuous activity since inception, its technical innovations, and the challenges it faced from Git’s rise. Although many perceive Mercurial as a project that lost the popularity battle, the developers emphasized that it remains actively maintained, with sustained funding and a dedicated user base.

Speakers discussed how Mercurial weathered the Git storm by evolving its tooling, fostering community contributions, and partnering with large organizations. They pointed out that while Git became the dominant version control system, Mercurial retained a niche among certain users and companies valuing its design philosophy and stability. The talk also explored how corporate involvement, such as from Mozilla and other tech giants, shaped its development trajectory and community engagement.

Why It Matters

This milestone underscores the resilience of community-driven open-source projects against dominant competitors. It highlights that even in a landscape where Git is ubiquitous, alternative tools like Mercurial can sustain relevance through innovation, dedicated support, and niche adoption. For developers and organizations, it serves as a reminder of the diversity and longevity possible in open-source ecosystems, influencing future tool development and community strategies.

Background

Mercurial was created in 2005 as a fast, lightweight, and easy-to-use distributed version control system. It gained initial popularity but gradually lost ground to Git, especially after Git’s widespread adoption by major projects like Linux kernel and many open-source repositories. Despite this, Mercurial maintained a loyal user base, particularly within organizations prioritizing stability and simplicity. Recent years have seen renewed interest in its design principles, as well as ongoing development efforts supported by companies and individual contributors.

“Despite losing the popularity battle, Mercurial remains active, supported by a dedicated community and continuous development.”

— FOSDEM speaker

“Our focus has been on maintaining stability, fostering community contributions, and supporting organizational needs.”

— Mercurial developer

What Remains Unclear

It is still unclear how much further Mercurial can grow in a market dominated by Git, or whether it will see a resurgence among new users. The future impact of emerging version control trends and tools remains uncertain, as does the extent of corporate backing and community engagement in the long term.

What’s Next

Developers and users will watch for upcoming updates, community initiatives, and potential integrations that could expand Mercurial’s relevance. The project’s next milestones include maintaining feature parity with competitors and fostering broader adoption among new open-source projects and organizations.

Key Questions

Why did Mercurial lose popularity to Git?

Git’s adoption was driven by its integration into major projects, widespread community support, and early technical advantages, which helped it become the dominant version control system.

Is Mercurial still actively maintained?

Yes, Mercurial remains actively developed with ongoing contributions from community members and support from organizations like Mozilla.

Who uses Mercurial today?

While its overall market share is smaller than Git, Mercurial is still used by certain organizations and projects that value its design and stability.

What are the advantages of Mercurial over Git?

Mercurial is often praised for its simplicity, ease of use, and stability, making it appealing for specific workflows and organizational needs.

Will Mercurial gain more popularity in the future?

This remains uncertain; future growth depends on community engagement, organizational support, and evolving version control trends.