I’ll start with a premise for those who may not already be familiar: the open-source software ecosystem often revolves around foundations, with the most famous probably being the Linux Foundation.

In the cloud-native domain, the reference foundation is the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, commonly known as CNCF.

CNCF is a foundation created by the Linux Foundation in 2015, specifically to manage projects in the cloud-native domain. In simple terms, it can be defined as a third-party, vendor-neutral entity that oversees the development and activities related to major projects involving containerized technologies like Kubernetes.

The foundation consists of a large number of sub-entities and working groups that oversee various projects, and much of the work is done by volunteers. To participate, everyone must adhere to the CNCF’s code of conduct.

When considering Kubernetes and the main projects associated with it, you can imagine the amount of work required to keep this system running and how many people—at all levels—are needed to contribute, both technically and non-technically.

Throughout my career, I have always tried to be involved in the community surrounding my professional world—participating in events, speaking at them, and even organizing some myself.

Even in my current role at SIGHUP, I have maintained the same approach. For the past few months, I have been part of the Italian team responsible for the Italian localization of the CNCF’s glossary.

I share this with you because I find it extremely rewarding to participate in these kinds of initiatives. It’s a great way to meet new people, step a bit outside your comfort zone, and assist others—including people and companies you may not know—all for the sake of fostering a better ecosystem.

As you can imagine, contributions can be made at all levels, with different teams dedicated to different scopes. Of course, it’s common to work with people from all around the world and from diverse backgrounds.

As a colleague told me recently, “If you enter a meeting and feel like a fool compared to the other participants, it probably means you’re in the right place.” Participating in meetings—even as an observer—with high-level individuals is a great opportunity for professional growth.

Now that I’ve piqued your interest, how can you participate or find a project that suits you?

I suggest exploring the following links for information about CNCF events and projects:

What I’ve mentioned above also applies to another very interesting foundation, born in 2020, called the Open Source Security Foundation, commonly abbreviated as OpenSSF. This foundation is an initiative of the Linux Foundation and focuses on enhancing the security of open-source software.

Since I work in security, I closely follow various initiatives of this foundation.

At the moment, due to time constraints, I’m not an active contributor, but members of my team have already had the opportunity to contribute and participate in various working group meetings. It’s important to always adhere to the code of conduct when participating and contributing.

In this case as well, I’ll provide you with some useful links where you can find collaboration ideas for OpenSSF: