What was once simply considered wild imagination is now a possible reality thanks to Augmented Reality. AR is basically a complex computer-produced vision that augments real environments in captivating ways. It’s redefined software and app user experience today. AR software development is a booming industry as we speak. It isn’t easy to master the technology however.

Businesses that realized the potential of AR in enticing their customer base have started investing in AR-powered apps, and developers are looking for the best approaches to mastering the technology. This is where open source comes in.

The gaining momentum of AR led developers to seek out open source technologies that could help them effectively leverage the technology to build AR apps. That said, here are the 4 most popular open source AR software development kits that have impressed AR app enthusiasts across the globe.
 

Google’s ARCore

 
Right at the forefront is Google’s ARCore. Launched in 2018, the SDK is open source under Apache 2.0 license and is designed to bring sensational AR experiences to Android devices.

ARCore enables developers to build AR apps that utilize the features of the mobile device to sense and augment real world environments transforming them into interactive, creative AR scenes that serve multiple purposes. The popular platform also features a multitude of APIs. Some of these APIs are available on iOS as well supporting shared AR experiences. The three most important capabilities of the ARCore are motion tracking, light estimation, and environmental understanding.
 

DroidAR

 
DroidAR was initially developed in 2010, and is known as the only open source AR exclusive to Android. The SDK supports image tracking, location-based and marker-based AR app development. However, it lacks a Unity plugin. DroidAR is a simple SDK licensed under GPLv3 – an ideal option for those looking for a free kit to deliver top notch location-based and marker-based AR experiences.
 

AR.js

 
Licensed under MIT, AR.js is a JavaScript-powered SDK that enables developers to incorporate AR experiences to web browsers without installing an app for it. What makes AR.js unique is the fact that it runs very fast – fast enough to hit 60 fps on older smartphone models. AR.js can be used on all popular mobile platforms such as Windows, Android, and iOS.
 

ARToolKit

 
ARToolKit stands next to Google ARCore as one of the most widely used AR open source technologies. With this SDK, developers can overlay virtual imagery on real environments while delivering a fast and intuitive user experience. ARToolKit is also cross-platform i.e. you can use it on Linux, Android, iOS, and Windows.

Its primary capabilities include tracking the user’s viewpoint and physical position to draw the imagery, tracking of planar images, Unity plugins support, and camera orientation tracking support.
 

Conclusion

 
As Augmented Reality expands its boundaries and crosses over to various industries including healthcare and fashion, the open source SDKs mentioned in this blog could be the game changer for developers who wish to utilize AR in the most effective manner.

Share your thoughts below on AR and AR app development.

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Open source is so popular and widely used that there are people who are using it daily without even realizing it. There are people who use WordPress, one of the most popular open source platforms, for blogging. There are many who use Mozilla Firefox, another digital contribution from open source, for browsing. Open source development services are highly demanded by enterprises across various industries.

As a matter of fact, a survey by Black Duck last year revealed that 60% of the surveyed businesses reported an increase in the use of open source in 2017.

Despite the wide acceptance and popularity, open source technologies are heavily criticized by many. Many myths surround the technology and many people believe those myths and misconceptions are true. Here are 5 such open source myths that people still believe to be true.
 

It’s free

 
The ‘free’ of open source technologies relates to ‘freedom’ i.e. open source technologies tend to have fewer restrictions than their proprietary counterparts. People think it’s all about the monetary cost and ‘free’ means it wouldn’t cost them anything.

However, there are free (literally) open source technologies available but they may not be the most up-to-date or feature-rich. Typically there wouldn’t be any licensing costs for open source software. But there are exceptions to this as well. The bottom-line is that not all open source is free, and not all free open source is good enough to make a difference for users.
 

Large companies don’t use open source tools

 
Open source tools, especially open source software, has been used by organizations of all sizes since the early 1990s. Corporate giants like Microsoft, Google, IBM, and many other companies use open source tools in some form. Open source software development is a big industry with an ever increasing number of developers.
 

Open source software aren’t secure at all

 
Many organizations refrain from using open source tools due to the misconception that they are less secure than proprietary software. This wrong notion is mostly due to the fact that the source code of an open source software is openly available to anyone who wants to tinker with it. This increases the likelihood of black hat hackers figuring out a vulnerability to exploit.

But this isn’t the whole truth. Contrary to public perception, open source codes also serve as a way for many open source experts to verify the integrity and security of the code i.e. security vulnerabilities are more likely to be detected, reported, and removed.
 

You can’t always count on support for open source software

 
It’s true that some open source software don’t have a long lifespan. These software “die” once the community backing them leaves them behind. It’s the community itself that provides the biggest support for open source technologies. It’s pretty much the same for proprietary software as well. The company that developed the software may simply stop providing support one day, and move on to a more lucrative project. Popular open source software with a reputation will likely still have a community backing it, ready to help anyone with technical issues.
 

Conclusion

 
These are but a few myths around open source software. It isn’t as unreliable as many people still seem to believe. It’s open source technology that powers quite a lot of popular platforms that have proven their worth across various industries. An enterprise can have a customized open source software developed to drive business growth efficiently and securely – something that can do the job just like a proprietary software can but more cost-effectively.

Enterprise DevOps adoption seems to be increasing consistently. Many enterprises have seen how a DevOps culture is important to becoming successful faster. Practicing a DevOps culture isn’t hassle-free however, and comes with its own fair share of challenges. A DevOps ecosystem requires Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment, test feedback etc. to be faster. A poorly thought out automation strategy here could be detrimental to the test automation efforts.

A well thought-out automation strategy on the other hand would also consider every important aspect rather than focusing all efforts on ensuring that the application is ready to ship. API testing is one such important aspect every testing strategy should take into account.

Thanks to a plethora of tools available in the market today, it’s not that difficult to perform API testing provided the strategy allocates a slot for API testing in the project’s lifecycle. And a few of the most effective of those tools are open source technologies.

The following are 3 great open source tools any tester should check out for API testing.
 

SoapUI

 
SoapUI is not a new tool. It’s been contributing to QA & testing for a while now, and is ideal in API testing environments where there are mostly QA engineers instead of developers. The open source test tool is designed for effective API testing, and even allows users to create custom workflows or functionalities (if necessary) by coding up the solution in SoapUI using Groovy.
 

REST-Assured

 
If Java is what the team’s using for the project, REST-Assured is what they need for API automation. The tool has a large following, and is recommended by many experienced testers for API testing.

REST-Assured is basically a Java library generally used to test HTTP-based REST services. It can integrate with every existing Java-based automation framework and comes with a number of functionalities that testers usually have to code in. The bonus is that the tester need not be an expert in HTTP to use the tool. As validating REST services is comparatively harder in Java as opposed to Ruby and Groovy, REST-Assured can be a great asset since it allows testers to bring dynamic languages like Ruby and Groovy into the Java domain.
 

Fiddler

 
Another open source tool, Fiddler is not exactly known for its API testing capabilities. It’s mainly used to monitor, manipulate, and reuse HTTP requests. It has many extensions that allow you to perform even more tasks – from debugging websites to API testing itself, making it invaluable for certain mid-scale software development projects.

API testing is possible with the APITest extension. The extension allows the tool to test and validate web APIs. However, it may not be ideal for extensive testing. For that purpose, an API testing infrastructure should be built with the FiddlerCore.NET Class Library. Fiddler is a preferable option for teams using .NET languages for their projects.
 

Conclusion

 
The use of a tool should be based on the requirements of the test strategy and the nature of the testing subject itself. There are many API test tools, including proprietary ones, with features that would prove very useful when testing APIs. The ones above are popular open source alternatives that many experienced testers recommend. If you are a tester who likes to explore and experiment, do give each of these tools a shot.

A great majority of businesses today rely on open source technologies to push towards progress under dynamic market conditions. Open source today extends itself to even enterprise security and VPN sectors, though companies are reluctant to use open source security products.

Thanks to the large community behind many popular open source solutions and contrary to popular belief, open source software is as secure as proprietary software. This also explains the rise in demand for open source development services that can build custom enterprise open source solutions.

Considering the recent controversy over unaddressed vulnerabilities that may lead to disastrous security risks in the products of many popular online security and VPN vendors, this seems to be the right time for enterprises to take the open source route.

That said, there are many enterprise-level open source VPNs that meet the requirements of any business, regardless of their size. Here are 4 great open source VPN solutions that might just be what your business is looking for.
 

Tcpcrypt

 
The Tcpcrypt encryption protocol is quite unique due to the fact that it doesn’t require configuration, changes to applications, or any noticeable changes in network connection. It’s compatible with both Windows and macOS, and operates with what’s generally referred to as ‘opportunistic encryption’.

If the other end of the connection relays messages to the tcpcrypt, the communication will be encrypted. Otherwise, it would be just plain text. It has robust protection against active and passive threats though it isn’t known for being useful as a company-wide solution. It’d be ideal in an environment with transfers of comparatively less-sensitive data.
 

strongSwan

 
strongSwan comes with unique encryption standards, and is maintained by Andreas Steffen, the head of the Institute for Internet Technologies and Applications at the Swiss University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil. strongSwan is easy to configure and features IPsec policies that support large, complex VPNs.
 

Tinc

 
A free open source VPN software, Tinc is licensed under GNU General Public License and is known for its variety of features including optional compression, automatic mesh routing etc. on top of encryption. It’s ideal for businesses that want to create VPNs out of a number of smaller networks at different locations.
 

OpenConnect

 
OpenConnect grew into a popular VPN client because of the fact that it was designed to support Cisco’s AnyConnect SSL VPN. Cisco is one of those popular VPN vendors mentioned at the beginning of this blog, whose product’s had potentially harmful vulnerabilities. Naturally, this led to companies doubting OpenConnect as well, as the client is believed to be associated with Cisco’s SSL VPN.

However, that’s not the case at all. OpenConnect has no association with Cisco, and got popular simply because it was compatible with their equipment. After the security vulnerabilities of Cisco were discovered, OpenConnect was subjected to some serious redevelopment. It’s now rectified all of the identified Cisco client deficiencies. OpenConnect is Linux compatible, and is one of the leading alternatives to Cisco for enterprises.
 

Conclusion

 
Open source security has always been questioned. But if you dig deep enough, you can find many experts discussing how secure open source is today, and why open source security rivals that of its proprietary counterparts. Open source also leads in the Middle East, particular when it comes to software development in UAE. Because of the large number of eyes and brains working behind open source solutions, pretty much every security gap has already been identified and filled. Enterprise-level open source VPNs can get the job done, while effectively securing business’ sensitive data.

A good majority of modern day enterprise IT and widely used technologies rely on open source software. Open source has made its presence very well known across networking, virtualization, and more. Open source development services still enjoy great demand, and the community keeps on growing bigger. However, enterprise security systems are still dominated by proprietary and vendor-locked technologies. Fortunately, change in times has brought change in trends as well.

There are a growing number of free open source security tools that are fully capable of both addressing security needs and protecting network, hosts, and data of the enterprises just as good as any proprietary security software. Some of these projects are backed by renowned organizations including major cloud operators and leading security firms.

That said, here are 4 open source security tools you should know about.
 

Commit Watcher

 
Accidental credential disclosures can end up causing a lot of damage for an organization. There have been reports of people accidentally exposing confidential information. One example is when private Amazon Web Services keys, passwords etc. were exposed after having them uploaded to GitHub or other repositories. Even developers may unintentionally do this.

The Commit Watcher open source tool from SourceClear can be a good solution for such mishaps, particular applicable during software development and testing cycles. The tool scans for potentially hazardous commits in both public and private Git repositories. This allows developers and project managers to monitor their projects for accidental credential disclosures. It periodically scans new commits and searches for matches against phrases or keywords defined in the project’s rules. Commit Watcher can be useful in testing enterprise software development projects that handle confidential data.
 

Jak

 
Keeping secrets out of the code is a key responsibility of developers. Even if they keep the ‘secrets’ in a configuration file, they should still ensure that the file isn’t committed to the code repository. They can add the config file to the .gitignore list to avoid it being committed to the repository. The secrets could be anything including keys that connect to aspects like payment systems, virtual machines, emailers etc. They are to be manually placed on application servers and managed separately from the source code which in turn can present a lot of challenges.

Jak can tackles this issue by allowing developers to commit encrypted ‘secret’ files into Git rather than use .gitignore. The files are included in a jakfile, and Jak ensures that only the encrypted file versions end up committed to the repository. The tool also handles encryption and decryption. Though the tool can be still challenging to use in production, it’s nevertheless useful for developers.
 

ProcFilter

 
An open source project from GoDaddy, ProcFilter can address the challenge of defending against known threats in Windows environments. It runs as a Windows service and integrates with Microsoft’s ETW (Event Tracing for Windows) thereby logging activities directly into Windows Event Log. The tool can also be configured to scan memory and files whenever processes are created or terminated.

ProcFilter is not a replacement to an antimalware tool, but is more useful as a tool to focus on specific known threats that can potentially compromise the project. For instance, if a peer organization has been hit by a particular threat, you can use ProcFilter to defend against it should it target your organization.
 

Yara

 
Yara is mainly used to identify and group malicious files. However, it can do more than that. The open source tool from VirusTotal’s Víctor Manuel Álvarez can be very useful for forensic investigations. The user will be able to create rules and Yara performs scans looking for matches. In addition, Yara can also use the virus signature files of popular open source antivirus tool ClamAV. Many more rule sets are also available from the YaraRules repository maintained by the community. However, as there are still some limitations to signature-based threat detection, it would not be wise to rely on Yara to defend from malicious attacks. That’s where ProcFilter can be of use.
 

Conclusion

 
Open source technologies are obviously competent in the security department as well, and the tools mentioned above are just a few of the more popular ones. The community behind most open source tools comprises of several big brains including security experts and analysts. Open source security tools are anticipated to bring better changes in the coming times. For developers, familiarizing with the aforementioned tools would be a great way to prepare for an open source-influenced future.