Fundament is the Dutch sovereign government cloud: an open-source cloud platform, and the live proof-of-concept environment on which it runs. The NDS Cloud programme, an all-of-government programme that aims to realise a Government Cloud with the requirement to be as sovereign as currently feasible (see the project brief sent to the Dutch Parliament, in Dutch), builds on Fundament, and its design is aligned with Fundament's architecture.
Fundament is designed to provide government organizations with a minimal, reliable foundation for running modern applications. Unlike traditional platforms that bundle every service by default, Fundament is basic at its core — delivering only the essential infrastructure and orchestration layers — while allowing each tenant to extend their environment with exactly the services and tools they need.
On top of this foundation, Fundament serves as an internal developer platform (IDP): enabling developers to build, deploy, and operate applications with speed and confidence. Its API-first design, multi-tenant architecture, and focus on autonomy and scalability give government organizations cloud capabilities on their own terms; secure, reliable, and without unnecessary complexity.
Preparing phase 1 production
The current PoC environment is being used for tests with users. A Fieldlab with a multi-user, multi-day test is planned for 23–25 November 2026. Scaling up towards a first production environment with a number of launching customers is in preparation.
A broader architecture document, Het Ontwerp, that describes the context, goals and starting points of the NDS Cloud design is currently in public review (in Dutch). The NDS Cloud design has its own architecture decision records, separate from theArchitecture Decision Records in this repository but largely compatible with them.
Fundament is being developed by NLDD/Digilab. Digilab is a technical innovation team and testing environment initiated by the Dutch government to facilitate secure, responsible, and standardized data sharing across public sector organizations.