This talk details gRPC's strategic path toward achieving "Graduated" status within the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). It begins by defining the CNCF, its role as a steward for open-source projects, and its multi-tiered maturity model (Sandbox, Incubating, Graduated), noting gRPC's current "Incubating" status. The speaker explains that to qualify for graduation, gRPC recently overhauled its seven-year-old governance structure. Key changes include implementing a new contributor ladder with defined roles (Org Member, Core Contributor, Maintainer) to clarify engagement and progression, and establishing an elected Steering Committee to manage high-level direction, CNCF communication, and advocacy. The talk concludes by outlining the final steps for graduation and encouraging new community involvement.
gRPC's Journey to CNCF Graduation: Governance and Community Restructuring
0:00:01 Introduction to gRPC's CNCF Graduation Path: Richard Belleville, a gRPC maintainer, introduces the project's journey towards Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) graduation and recent internal changes.
0:00:24 Understanding the CNCF: The CNCF is a non-profit subsidiary of the Linux Foundation, formed in 2015 by major companies (e.g., Google, AT&T, Cisco, Docker) to align cloud-native technologies. It acts as a steward for donated open-source projects, promoting them at flagship events like KubeCon and gRPC Conf, and is known for certifying high-quality, secure, and battle-tested technologies.
0:02:47 CNCF Project Maturity Levels: Projects within the CNCF progress through three maturity tiers: "Sandbox" (experiments), "Incubating" (stable, mature, used in production by at least a few companies), and "Graduated" (widely adopted, foundational pillars of the cloud-native landscape). gRPC is currently an "Incubating" project.
0:03:48 gRPC's Goal: Graduation: Despite gRPC's widespread adoption as a de-facto standard for RPC systems, it is still in the "Incubating" stage. The project is actively pursuing "Graduated" status, which requires an even more in-depth certification process by the CNCF Technical Oversight Committee (TOC).
0:04:14 Governance Overhaul for Graduation: To meet the stringent requirements for graduation, gRPC updated its seven-year-old governance structure. Feedback from the CNCF highlighted critical gaps, such as ill-defined processes for offboarding maintainers, a flat project structure, and a lack of clear criteria for becoming a maintainer.
0:05:15 New Contributor Ladder: The project replaced its flat structure with a multi-tier contributor ladder to clarify roles and progression:
Org Members (0:06:04): Entry-level contributors, expected to provide at least four PRs, bug fixes, or code reviews annually, sponsored by two existing members.
Core Contributors (0:06:31): Recognized for expertise in specific domains (e.g., code directories, observability, security), sponsored by two core contributors or higher. They are responsible for reviewing most PRs in their domain.
Maintainers (0:07:07): The pinnacle, demonstrating broad expertise, mentoring new contributors, and defining the overall technical strategy of the project, including cross-language designs.
0:05:40 Elected Steering Committee: A new, annually elected Steering Committee of seven members was established to formalize high-level direction. Its responsibilities include communicating with the CNCF, issuing statements on behalf of the project, and overseeing advocacy and marketing efforts. The first committee began its term on August 15th, and public online meetings will be announced on the GRPCIO mailing list.
0:08:55 Remaining Steps for Graduation: The gRPC project needs a due diligence report from the CNCF's Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to verify adherence to its governance, vendor neutrality, and security best practices. Following this, an official application will be submitted to the TOC for final review and approval.
0:09:32 How to Get Involved: New contributors are encouraged to join the GRPCIO mailing list and look for issues marked "help wanted" or "good first-time issue" on specific language or repository pages. Consistent contributions make individuals strong candidates to become an Org Member.