OpenStack is an open source cloud computing platform that provides common services for building public and private clouds. It was launched in 2010 as a collaboration between Rackspace and NASA to create an open source alternative to existing proprietary cloud platforms. OpenStack provides common services for compute, storage, networking and identity management and is made up of interoperable components that can be used together or independently. The project is overseen by the OpenStack Foundation and has grown significantly in contributors and companies involved since its inception.