The CNCF End User Community is launching its User Group Program at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America. These are long-lived groups, each built around an industry vertical or problem domain, that serves the common need of the end user community, and reports directly to the CNCF Technical Advisory Board (TAB).
Why user groups
Cloud native adoption looks different in a telecom network, a research lab, a public agency and a platform team at a software company. Each has its own constraints, vocabulary and gaps in the tooling landscape. A CNCF User Group gives each of those communities a durable place to organize around its own needs, rather than relying on one-off efforts that fade after a single project or event.
A User Group is the primary organizational unit of the program. It is aligned with an industry vertical, a problem domain, or a common need of the CNCF end user community, and it is long-lived by design: user groups perform standing functions for projects and the organizations that adopt them. Each group:
- Represents and serves the needs of end users in its domain
- Identifies gaps in the CNCF project portfolio and helps attract projects to fill them
- Educates users with unbiased, practical information scoped to cloud native
- Proposes community-sourced reference architectures, best practices and how-tos for publication
- Gives CNCF projects feedback on usability, reliability and performance
User groups also come with accountability. Every group operates under a charter, is led by chairs approved by the TAB, holds at least one public monthly meeting that is recorded and posted to YouTube, and reports regularly on its health and work to the TAB. Groups are also expected to show up at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon, whether through talks, booths or ecosystem updates.
Technical Community Groups and User Groups: what’s the difference?
The program is designed as a path, not a single door. Technical Community Groups (TCGs) are the lightweight starting point: part of the broader CNCF Community Groups Program, they act as a rallying point where practitioners discuss a topic, share knowledge and coordinate possible future initiatives. User Groups are the long-lived, chartered layer on top.
| Technical Community Group | User Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Discussion, knowledge sharing and a rallying point around a topic or domain | Standing, long-term coverage of an industry vertical or problem domain |
| Governance | Minimal; follows the Community Groups process, plus TAB approval | Charter required; reports directly to the TAB |
| Leadership | Organizers (2-year terms) | Chairs approved by the TAB (2-year terms) |
| Meetings | One meet-up every 90 days | At least one public monthly meeting, recorded and posted to YouTube |
| Reporting | Minimal | Periodic health and initiative updates to the TAB; KubeCon presence expected |
| Scope of work | Free to propose initiatives with an explicit deliverable | Standing functions, plus initiatives, white papers and reference architectures |
The governance model expects most future user groups to begin life as community groups. A TCG that wants to graduate must have completed numerous initiatives, cover a gap not already served by an existing group, and win TAB approval. The group then drafts a charter with defined scope, and the TAB votes on it. Once the vote passes, the user group is formed. Source: User Group Governance.
One on-ramp, two destinations
Community groups are a shared on-ramp across CNCF. Where a TCG lands depends on its focus. End user-driven domains such as an industry vertical go to the TAB and become User Groups. Project-focused domains go to the Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) and can become a Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The governance documents tell TCG organizers to talk to the TOC and TAB chairs early, so the group lands in the right place.
The TAG path has the same shape as the User Group path. A TCG applying to become a TAG must have completed numerous initiatives, cover a gap in the currently defined groups, have a documented history of collaboration with its parent group, and be approved by the TOC. The group then drafts a charter, the TOC votes on it, and the TAG is formed once the vote passes. Source: Tech Group Governance.
Platform Engineering: from TCG to User Group
The Platform Engineering community shows how that path works in practice. It started life as a Working Group under the previous TAG App Delivery, became a Technical Community Group during the TAG restructuring last year, and is now transitioning to a User Group. Over time, the group moved from conversation to output, including the Platform Engineering Maturity Model and the Platforms White Paper.
Becoming a User Group changes what the community can do. It now has a TAB-approved charter, a direct reporting line to the TAB, a standing public monthly meeting, and a formal role in representing platform engineering end users across the CNCF ecosystem. Its focus areas include internal developer platforms, golden paths, self-service capabilities, platform as a product, developer experience, and operational practices such as GitOps and policy as code.
“Being recognized as a CNCF User Group is an exciting milestone for us. It validates years of dedication from our community members and provides the elevated visibility we need to bring in new ideas, attract fresh talent, and continue shaping the future of Platform Engineering together.”
– Chris Plank aka Planko
Four user groups, and room to grow
The program launches with four groups, each serving a distinct end user community:
- Platform Engineering: Cloud native collaboration for platform engineering end users
- Public Sector: Cloud native collaboration for public-sector end users
- Research: Cloud native collaboration for research organizations and scientific workloads
- Telecom: Cloud native collaboration for telecom end users
New groups are formed when there is a documented, outstanding gap in coverage of a technical domain within cloud native. If your community fits that description, the path starts with a conversation with the TAB. Community groups that have a track record of completed initiatives are the natural candidates.
Meet the Platform Engineering User Group at KubeCon
The best way to see what a user group does is to meet the people in it. Stop by the Platform Engineering User Group kiosk on Day 1, Tuesday, November 10, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at P-16B. Talk with the group about your platform challenges, hear how the move from TCG to user group came together, and find out how to get involved.
Can’t make it to the show floor? You can join the conversation any time:
- Learn about the program and every group at endusers.cncf.io/community/user-groups
- Find meeting details and initiatives at cloudnativeplatforms.com
- Join #platform-engineering on CNCF Slack
- Share a platform architecture or case study with the group
Also at KubeCon: the Public Sector User Group
Working in or alongside government or another regulated environment? The Public Sector User Group has two sessions this week, back to back:
- Public Sector User Group Meetup: Cloud Native in the Public Sector is an informal, social meetup with no slides or agenda. Meet the co-chairs and other members, swap stories about deploying cloud native technology in regulated environments, and learn how to get involved.
- Public Sector User Group BoF: Roadmap, White Papers, Our Group is a Birds of a Feather session led by co-chairs William Crum and Daniel Moch. It covers the group’s mission and roadmap, its white papers published and in progress, and how it works with the TAB. They will also ask for help with current work and open a discussion on the biggest adoption challenges in the public sector.
Both ancillaries are aimed at government employees, contractors and service members. Can’t make it? The group meets biweekly on Wednesdays at 2:00 PM US/Eastern. Find the details on the Public Sector User Group page, the CNCF community page, or in #ug-public-sector on CNCF Slack.
