The landscape addresses the challenge of navigating the fragmented cloud native ecosystem by organizing projects into logical categories and providing a centralized reference point. It pulls data from multiple sources including GitHub and Crunchbase to surface key project metrics and company information, helping developers understand the landscape of available tools and understand which projects represent well-established paths for cloud native deployment.
Organizations considering whether to contribute to the landscape should know that inclusion requires meeting specific criteria: cloud native projects need at least a certain threshold of GitHub stars and must fit clearly into an existing category. The tool accepts only one primary listing per company product to avoid duplication, though exceptions exist for large vendors and all Certified Kubernetes implementations. Entries must include SVG-format logos with the project or company name in English, and closed source products require clear public documentation. The landscape is regenerated daily, so merged contributions become visible within a day.
The project maintains a data-driven approach focused on community contribution through pull requests to the landscape.yml file, with new entries added in alphabetical order and reviewed against documented guidelines. The actual rendering engine lives in a separate repository, keeping data management distinct from the visualization layer. The tool integrates with Technical Advisory Groups to track project ownership within the CNCF ecosystem, allowing projects to declare their organizational home.
