CNCF Onboarding Guide: OxiaDiscussion Project

Welcome to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) project onboarding process! This guide outlines the steps required to successfully onboard your project, OxiaDiscussion, into the CNCF ecosystem. This process is designed to ensure a smooth transition and integration into the CNCF community.

This comprehensive checklist is here to guide you through each step, ensuring that your project is fully integrated into the CNCF ecosystem within one month of acceptance. Let's work together to make this onboarding process a success!

To effectively track our progress, we encourage you to use "Quote reply" to create your own version of this checklist within the issue. This will allow you to easily update the status of each item as you complete it. This collaborative approach ensures transparency and helps us stay on track.

Critical Steps Before Onboarding

Before diving into the onboarding process, it's crucial to complete the Project Contribution Agreement and transfer any existing trademarks to the Linux Foundation. These legal prerequisites must be fulfilled before CNCF staff can proceed with their onboarding tasks. However, your team can work on the remaining tasks concurrently.

1. Understanding the CNCF IP Policy

Intellectual Property (IP) policies are the bedrock of any open-source foundation. It’s essential to begin by carefully reviewing and understanding the CNCF IP Policy. This policy dictates the rules and regulations surrounding intellectual property within the CNCF ecosystem. A critical aspect of this policy is ensuring that your project utilizes a CNCF-compatible license. Inbound projects are required to use the Apache 2.0 license, which is widely recognized as a permissive and business-friendly open-source license. Understanding and adhering to this policy from the outset will prevent potential legal complications down the road.

Furthermore, the IP Policy doesn’t just apply to your project’s core code. It also extends to the licenses used by your project’s dependencies. This is where the next policy comes into play, ensuring a holistic approach to IP compliance.

2. CNCF Third-Party License Policy

Your project likely relies on various third-party libraries and components. To maintain a healthy and legally sound ecosystem, it's vital to understand the CNCF Third Party License Policy. This policy governs the licenses used by these external dependencies. The CNCF uses tools like FOSSA or Snyk to automatically check project compliance with this policy. Inform the CNCF which service you prefer, ensuring your project’s dependencies align with the CNCF's allowed list.

This policy is designed to prevent the introduction of licenses that might conflict with the CNCF’s mission or create legal challenges for users of your project. By proactively managing your dependencies' licenses, you contribute to the overall health and sustainability of the CNCF ecosystem.

3. Trademark Guidelines

Trademarks are a critical aspect of project identity and branding. Familiarize yourself with the LF trademark guidelines to ensure your project's branding aligns with legal requirements and best practices. If you're considering a name change for your project, it’s essential to inform the TOC (Technical Oversight Committee) as early as possible. This proactive communication helps avoid confusion and ensures a smooth transition.

Adhering to these guidelines protects your project’s brand and ensures consistency across the CNCF landscape. It’s a vital step in establishing your project's identity within the broader community.

4. Trademark and Logo Assets

Transferring your project's trademarks and logo assets to the Linux Foundation is a crucial step in the onboarding process. This is achieved through the Contribution Agreement, which the CNCF staff will send to the contact emails listed in your Sandbox application. This transfer ensures the long-term protection and stewardship of your project's brand assets within the CNCF.

By entrusting your trademarks and logos to the Linux Foundation, you benefit from their expertise in managing and protecting intellectual property. This allows you to focus on developing your project while ensuring its brand remains secure.

Essential Documents for Review

Before fully immersing yourself in the onboarding process, take some time to review and understand these key documents. These resources provide valuable context and guidance for navigating the CNCF ecosystem.

1. Technical Leadership Principles

The Technical Leadership Principles outline the expected behavior for maintainers in leadership roles within CNCF projects. These principles emphasize collaboration, transparency, and community engagement, ensuring a healthy and productive environment for contributors and users alike. Understanding these principles is crucial for fostering a positive and inclusive project culture.

By adhering to these principles, you contribute to the overall success and sustainability of your project and the CNCF community as a whole. They serve as a guiding light for making decisions and interacting with fellow contributors.

2. Project Proposal Process and Requirements

Familiarize yourself with the project proposal process and requirements. This document outlines the steps and criteria for proposing new projects to the CNCF, providing valuable insight into the evaluation process and what makes a successful project within the foundation. Even though OxiaDiscussion has already been accepted, understanding this process can help you navigate future interactions with the TOC and the CNCF community.

This knowledge will be invaluable as your project evolves and you consider future proposals or collaborations within the CNCF.

3. Services Available for Your Project

The CNCF offers a wide range of services to support its hosted projects. It's essential to explore the services available for your project at the CNCF. These services include marketing support, infrastructure resources, community outreach, and more. Understanding these offerings allows you to leverage the CNCF's resources to accelerate your project’s growth and adoption.

From technical infrastructure to marketing expertise, the CNCF provides a comprehensive suite of services designed to help your project thrive.

4. Online Program Guidelines

If your project involves online programs such as webinars or workshops, it's important to review the online program guidelines. These guidelines ensure consistency and quality across all CNCF-sponsored online events, helping to maintain a professional and engaging experience for participants.

By adhering to these guidelines, you contribute to the CNCF’s reputation for high-quality online content and ensure your programs are well-received by the community.

5. Telemetry Data Collection and Usage Policy

Understand the telemetry data collection and usage policy. This policy outlines how the CNCF collects and uses telemetry data from hosted projects, ensuring transparency and protecting user privacy. Understanding this policy helps you make informed decisions about data collection within your project.

Transparency in data handling is crucial for building trust with your users and the broader community.

6. Optional: Schedule a Meeting with CNCF Staff

Consider booking time with CNCF staff to discuss any questions you may have or to work through onboarding tasks together. This is a valuable opportunity to gain personalized guidance and support from the CNCF team. Don't hesitate to schedule a meeting to address any concerns or seek clarification on any aspect of the onboarding process.

This direct interaction with CNCF staff can significantly streamline the onboarding process and ensure a successful integration into the foundation.

Contributing and Transferring Materials

Now, let's move on to the practical steps of contributing and transferring essential materials for your project.

1. Move Your Project to a Neutral GitHub Organization

To ensure neutral hosting and facilitate transfer to the CNCF's GitHub Enterprise account, move your project to its own separate GitHub organization. If your project is already hosted in another GHE account, you'll need to remove it from there first. This step is crucial for maintaining the CNCF’s vendor-neutral stance and ensuring the project’s long-term sustainability.

This separation allows for a clean transfer and integration into the CNCF’s infrastructure, ensuring a level playing field for all contributors.

2. Join the CNCF GitHub Enterprise Account

Accept the invitation to join the CNCF GitHub Enterprise account. Once you've joined, thelinuxfoundation will be added as an organization owner, further solidifying the neutral hosting of your project. This step provides access to the CNCF’s robust infrastructure and collaboration tools.

This integration allows your project to leverage the full power of the CNCF’s GitHub environment, including enhanced security and collaboration features.

3. Migrate Slack Channels

If your project has existing Slack channels, migrate them to the Kubernetes or CNCF Slack workspace. CNCF staff can assist with this process. This migration enhances discoverability, enables the CNCF to enforce its Code of Conduct, and provides unlimited message retention, fostering a more inclusive and transparent community.

Centralizing communication within the CNCF Slack workspace streamlines collaboration and ensures all interactions are governed by the CNCF’s Code of Conduct.

4. Join the #maintainers-circle Slack Channel

Join the #maintainers-circle Slack channel to connect with other project teams, share knowledge, and learn from their experiences. This channel is a valuable resource for maintainers to exchange best practices and collaborate on common challenges.

This community of maintainers provides a supportive environment for sharing expertise and fostering collaboration across CNCF projects.

5. Transfer Your Domain(s) to the CNCF

If your project has its own domain(s), transfer them to the CNCF by submitting a request through the CNCF Service Desk. Use projects@cncf.io as the