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CNCF Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs)

Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) are the primary organizational units within the CNCF that oversee and coordinate interests across projects, working groups, and the broader cloud native community. TAGs scale technical contributions while maintaining quality and advancing the CNCF mission of making cloud native computing ubiquitous.

Overview​

TAGs serve as bridges between CNCF projects, end users, and the Technical Oversight Committee (TOC). Each TAG focuses on a specific industry problem domain or provides horizontal services that support other TAGs and projects.

TAG Mission

TAGs strengthen the project ecosystem to meet the needs of end users and contributors by:

  • Providing technical expertise during project evaluations
  • Identifying gaps in the CNCF project portfolio
  • Educating users with unbiased, practical information
  • Fostering project maturity across the ecosystem
  • Serving as a bridge between projects to surface common problems

Current TAGs​

The CNCF has five active Technical Advisory Groups organized by domain:

TAG Developer Experience​

Focus: Databases, Microservices, Streaming, Messaging, API Management, Developer Frameworks

Improving the developer experience in cloud native environments through better tools, frameworks, and practices.

Leadership: 3 Chairs, 5 Tech Leads
TOC Liaison: Katie Gamanji (@kgamanji)

TAG Infrastructure​

Focus: Data, Storage, Network, DNS, Compute, Service Mesh, Infrastructure-as-Code, Edge, Sovereignty, Load Balancing

Developing practices, standards, and assessments for core cloud native infrastructure to enable scalable, resilient, secure, and performant systems.

Leadership: 3 Chairs, 5 Tech Leads
TOC Liaisons: Ricardo Rocha (@rochaporto), Karena Angell (@angellk)

TAG Operational Resilience​

Focus: Observability, Management, Business Continuity, Resource Optimization, Cost Efficiency, Energy, Performance, Troubleshooting, Reliability, Day 2 Operations

Dedicated to operational resilience and reliability practices in cloud native systems.

Leadership: 3 Chairs, 5 Tech Leads
TOC Liaison: Jeremy Rickard (@jeremyrickard)

TAG Security and Compliance​

Focus: Security Hygiene, Policy-as-Code, Compliance, Auditing, Threat Modeling, Secure Software Supply Chain

Addressing security and compliance concerns in cloud native systems through best practices, assessments, and tooling.

Leadership: 3 Chairs, 6 Tech Leads
TOC Liaisons: Faseela K (@kfaseela), Jeremy Rickard (@jeremyrickard)

TAG Workloads Foundation​

Focus: Fundamental cloud native workload execution environments and lifecycle management

Defining practices and standards for cloud native workload execution within systems, applications, and architectures.

Leadership: 3 Chairs, 5 Tech Leads
TOC Liaisons: Alex Chircop (@chira001), Kevin Wang (@kevin-wangzefeng)

TAG Structure and Organization​

Each TAG operates with a consistent structure:

RoleCountTermResponsibilities
Chairs32 yearsOversee planning and execution, ensure adherence to principles, report to TOC
Tech Leads5-62 yearsProvide subject matter expertise, guide technical decisions, maintain quality
SubprojectsVariableOngoingFocused work efforts on specific domains
InitiativesVariableTime-boundShort-term deliverables like white papers or reports

How TAGs Operate​

TAGs follow a consistent operational model:

  • Regular Meetings: At least one public monthly meeting, recorded and uploaded to YouTube
  • Open Participation: All meetings are open to the community
  • Documented Decisions: All significant decisions documented publicly
  • Progress Updates: Regular reports to the TOC on health, subprojects, and initiatives
  • Community Engagement: KubeCon presence, blog posts, white papers, and presentations

Getting Involved with TAGs​

TAGs welcome participation from anyone in the cloud native community:

Attend Meetings​

All TAG meetings are open to the public. No registration or membership required - simply join and observe or participate in discussions.

Join Communication Channels​

  • Slack: Each TAG has a dedicated Slack channel (links above)
  • Mailing Lists: Subscribe to TAG mailing lists for announcements and discussions
  • GitHub: Watch TAG repositories for issues and pull requests

Contribute to Work​

  • Review Documents: Provide feedback on white papers, best practices, and other outputs
  • Participate in Initiatives: Join time-bound work efforts that interest you
  • Help with Reviews: Assist with project evaluations and health checks
  • Share Expertise: Contribute domain knowledge to discussions and deliverables

Path to Leadership​

TAGs actively mentor future leaders:

  1. Start Contributing: Participate in meetings, discussions, and initiatives
  2. Take on Tasks: Volunteer for specific deliverables or responsibilities
  3. Build Expertise: Develop deep knowledge in the TAG's domain
  4. Get Nominated: Chairs nominate Tech Leads; community elects Chairs
  5. Apply Experience: Prior CNCF community activity is valued

TAG Requirements​

All TAGs must maintain certain standards:

Core Requirements
  • Charter: Documented scope, overlaps, and operational guidelines
  • Metadata: Current list of leads, subprojects, and initiatives
  • Public Meetings: At least one monthly meeting, recorded and published
  • Regular Updates: Periodic health reports to the TOC
  • Project Reviews: Timely participation in project evaluation processes
  • Community Engagement: KubeCon presence and ecosystem updates

Relationship with Other Groups​

TAGs coordinate with multiple parts of the CNCF ecosystem:

  • TOC: TAGs report to and receive direction from the TOC
  • Projects: TAGs provide expertise and support to CNCF projects
  • Subprojects: TAGs may form subprojects for ongoing work
  • Initiatives: TAGs sponsor time-bound initiatives for specific deliverables
  • TCGs: Technical Community Groups may evolve into TAGs over time
  • End Users: TAGs gather feedback and provide guidance to adopters

Historical Context​

The current TAG structure was established in 2025 to better align with cloud native ecosystem needs. Previous Technical Advisory Groups are being phased out and replaced with this new structure.

Legacy TAGs

The following legacy TAGs are being spun down during 2025:

  • TAG Security → TAG Security and Compliance
  • TAG Storage → TAG Infrastructure
  • TAG App Delivery → TAG Developer Experience
  • TAG Network → TAG Infrastructure
  • TAG Runtime → TAG Workloads Foundation
  • TAG Contributor Strategy → TOC Subproject: Contributor Strategy and Advocacy
  • TAG Observability → TAG Operational Resilience
  • TAG Environmental Sustainability → TAG Operational Resilience

Resources and Documentation​

Contact​

For general TAG questions:

For TAG-specific questions, use the contact information listed under each TAG above.