Building Vibrant Open Source Communities - Lessons from Rocky Linux and CNCF

Discover proven strategies for building and sustaining successful open source communities in this 45-minute conference talk from All Things Open 2024, presented by Jonas Rosland of VAST Data and Krista Burdine from Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation. Learn from real-world experiences managing the Rocky Linux community within the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation (RESF) and various Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) projects. Gain practical insights into comprehensive community engagement strategies that transformed Rocky Linux into a self-sustaining, community-driven Linux distribution. Explore essential elements including documentation practices, communication methods, governance structures, and codes of conduct that effectively empower contributor bases. Master techniques for measuring community health metrics, energizing quiet communities, managing growth challenges, and maintaining long-term contributor motivation. Walk away with actionable frameworks and lessons learned from both successful initiatives and encountered pitfalls that can be applied to new or existing open source projects.