Plan your perfect conference experience.
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon is here. Are you overwhelmed by the events. Here are some tips to plan your schedule
Cloud Native Novice
Track overview
This guide is for newcomers to the cloud native world. The Cloud Native Novice track at KubeCon covers foundational concepts across multiple domains, including core networking, managing storage for containerized workloads, initial security practices, application development and community engagement.
What you’ll learn
Gain a strong foundation in cloud native computing: learn how container orchestration works, how to manage networking and storage in a Kubernetes cluster, understand initial security activities, develop your first cloud native applications and discover ways to engage with the wider CNCF community.
Highlighted sessions
- An Introduction to Capture The Flag – build your skills with a fun security challenge
- Learning Lounge: The Four Pillars of Kubernetes Security: Code, Container, Cluster, Cloud
- Learning Lounge: How to Prepare for the CKA Exam: Tips and Study Strategies
- Getting Started with Open Source Contributions: A Beginner’s Roadmap
- Children’s Guide to LLMs on Kubernetes – approachable Al concepts for everyone
Application Development
Track overview
Modern cloud native development demands new practices and tooling. This track focuses on best practices for architecting, coding, testing and building scalable applications while improving developer workflows through automation and innovative tools.
What you’ll learn
Discover how to design and code cloud native microservices, implement testing strategies, streamline continuous integration and delivery pipelines, and boost developer productivity with cutting-edge tooling.
Highlighted sessions
- Who Let the Pods Out? Extending Kubernetes with Custom Controllers and CRDs
- ArgoCD CLI Gets an Upgrade: Plugins, Flexibility and More
- Introducing Kubernetes Resource Orchestrator (KRO)
- One Operator To Rule Them All? CRD Management Strategies for Cloud Native Apps
- IDP as a Product: Where Developer Happiness Meets Platform’s Excellence
Platform Engineering Guide
Track overview
Platform engineering focuses on building, optimizing and scaling internal platforms that empower development teams. Sessions in this track showcase approaches to automation, extensibility and CI/CD acceleration across cloud native environments.
What you’ll learn
Learn how to design flexible internal developer platforms, automate infrastructure provisioning, extend pipelines using GitOps and policy as code, and build scalable systems that enable high developer velocity.
Highlighted sessions
- To Succeed in Platform Engineering, Build Infrastructure Knowledge Graphs
- Kubernetes Policy as Code for Platform Engineers
- Building a Cloud Native lac Platform by Leveraging the Kubernetes Ecosystem
- IDP as a Product: Where Developer Happiness Meets Platform’s Excellence
- Keynote: Kubernetes and Platform Engineering: A Strategic Partnership for Scalable Innovation
Operations & Performance
Track overview
Operating cloud native platforms at scale requires mastery of performance tuning, autoscaling and reliability. This track provides actionable insights into runtime challenges, high availability, operators and cluster optimisation.
What you’ll learn
Deepen your understanding of autoscaling strategies, high-availability patterns, performance optimisation, troubleshooting production outages and designing resilient systems.
Highlighted sessions
- Mastering Kubernetes Control Plane Performance Optimisation With Observability
- Handling Node Churn in Karpenter: Efficient Scaling for Large EKS Clusters
- High-Performance Cloud Networking With Calico and Vector Packet Processing
- Smart Capacity-Aware Volume Provisioning for LVM Local Storage Across Multi-Cluster Kubernetes Fleet
- Rewriting the Rules: Why Kubernetes Is Moving To NFTables
Cloud Native Security
Track overview
Security is a critical pillar of any cloud native deployment. The security track delves into threat modelling, identity and credential management, multi-tenancy, confidential computing, zero trust and supply chain security.
What you’ll learn
Understand the latest techniques for securing Kubernetes clusters: implement zero trust architectures, manage identities and secrets, enforce policies, detect vulnerabilities, and respond to incidents.
Highlighted sessions
- Guard Your Network With Kyverno and Envoy
- Delegate Authentication and a Lot More To Keycloak With OpenlD Connect
- Kyverno: Kubernetes Policy as Code Unleashed!
- The Four Pillars of Kubernetes Security: Code, Container, Cluster, Cloud
- Choose Your Shield: Evaluating Linux Security Modules for Cloud Native Ecosystems
Al & ML on Kubernetes
Track overview
Artificial intelligence is transforming cloud native applications. The Al + ML track explores how to build, deploy and scale machine learning workloads on Kubernetes, covering MLOps, AIOps and GPI-J optimisation.
What you’ll learn
Learn how to manage data models, implement and deploy ML algorithms on Kubernetes, optimise workloads using GPUs and schedulers like Kueue and Volcano, and build MLOps pipelines for continuous training and inference.
Highlighted sessions
- Scaling Al Like a Pro: PepsiCo’s LLM Deployment Strategy on Kubernetes
- Scaling ML Smarter: Optimising Kueue & Volcano With Adaptive Scheduling
- Cloud Native GenAl Using KServe and OPEA
- How Intuit Streamlined Al/ML Inference Workflows on K8s
- Scaling Generative Al: Building Production-Ready LLM Applications
Connectivity & Service Mesh
Track overview
Networking and service meshes are vital for distributed systems. The connectivity track explores telco use cases, edge computing, load balancing, L4/L7 service meshes and automation for networking in Kubernetes.
What you’ll learn
Understand the fundamentals of L4/L7 service meshes, compare popular meshes such as Istio, Linkerd and Kuma, learn how to optimise DNS and NAT, and explore advanced topics like edge networking and VPP.
Highlighted sessions
- Back To the Basics – Service Mesh Fundamentals
- Unlocking the Power of Kuma Service Mesh: Enhancing Reliability and Developer Productivity
- Enhancing DNS Reliability in Kubernetes With Node Local DNS Cache
- High-Performance Cloud Networking With Calico and Vector Packet Processing
- Optimising SNAT Port and IP Address Management in Kubernetes
Data Processing & Storage
Track overview
Managing data in a cloud native world is challenging. This track focuses on data streaming, containerised databases, volume provisioning and workflow optimisation for robust storage solutions.
What you’ll learn
Learn how to select and operate distributed databases, manage persistent volumes, design scalable storage architectures, and apply best practices for data streaming and stateful workloads on Kubernetes.
Highlighted sessions
- Running Databases Efficiently at Scale – Flipkart’s Local PV Journey on K8s
- Inside Vitess: Building Resilient, Distributed Databases
- Smart Capacity-Aware Volume Provisioning for LVM Local Storage Across Multi-Cluster Kubernetes Fleets
- Rook: Intro and Deep Dive With Ceph Storage
- Cluster API To Streamline Kubernetes Cluster Lifecycle Management at NVIDIA
Observability & Monitoring
Track overview
Observability is key to understanding and troubleshooting distributed systems. This track covers methodologies for instrumenting, collecting, storing and querying metrics, logs and traces, as well as building effective dashboards and alerts.
What you’ll learn
Master instrumentation using OpenTelemetry, set up metrics with Prometheus, explore logs with Loki and traces with Tempo, and build dashboards that provide actionable insights. Learn how to manage alert rules, thresholds and policies at scale.
Highlighted sessions
- Mastering Kubernetes Control Plane Performance Optimisation With Observability
- Effortless, Standardised Homelab Observability With eBPF
- Observability at Scale With Monitoring as Code: Grafana, Prometheus & Tempo
- Building a Scalable Observability Platform for Edge Compute Nodes
- Auto-instrumentation for GPI-J Performance Using eBPF
Emerging & Advanced Technologies
Track overview
Stay on the bleeding edge of cloud native. This track highlights research, proof-of-concept projects, high-performance computing and niche topics, welcoming early-stage ideas and ambitious experiments.
What you’ll learn
Explore cutting-edge topics such as WebAssembly (WASM), eBPF, confidential computing, GPU virtualisation, advanced networking and new orchestration primitives. Learn how academic research meets practical implementations.
Highlighted sessions
- Minimal OS, Maximum Impact: Journey To a Flatcar Maintainer
- Cloud Native lac Platform for an Enterprise by Leveraging the Kubernetes Ecosystem
- Freeze, Investigate, Recover: Unlocking Forensic Container Checkpointing With CRI-U
- Rewriting the Rules: Why Kubernetes Is Moving To NFTables • Optimising SNAT Port and IP Address Management in Kubernetes
Cloud Native Experience
Track overview
Beyond the technology, the cloud native movement thrives on community and shared experience. This track covers community building, the business value of CNCF technologies, starting cloud native startups and lessons from misadventures.
What you’ll learn
Gain strategies for fostering inclusive communities, understand how CNCF projects drive business value, learn from others’ successes and failures, and get inspired to launch your own cloud native initiatives.
Highlighted sessions
- Lessons from Running a CNCF Community: Mistakes, Wins, and Growth
- Redefining Inclusion: Building Truly Global Cloud Native Communities
- Kubernetes SIG Contributor Experience: A Look Back, a Step Forward
- Peer Group Mentoring and Women’s Community Gathering
- Beyond Productivity: Scaling Cloud Dev Environments for Faster Feedback & Sustainable Engineering
Maintainer Track Guide
Track overview
The maintainer track offers direct updates from CNCF project maintainers, including the latest releases, implementation guidance and insights into the challenges they face sustaining open source projects.
What you’ll learn
Learn best practices for using new features, discover how projects evolve behind the scenes, understand how to contribute effectively and engage directly with maintainers to shape the future of cloud native tools.
Highlighted sessions
- SIG etcd Maintainer Track Talk
- Kubernetes Steering Committee – Navigating the Tides of the Kubernetes Ocean
- Maintainer Meetup
- Rook: Intro and Deep Dive With Ceph Storage
Kubernetes Steering Committee sessions on governance and project health
Lightning Talks Highlights
Track overview
Lightning talks deliver rapid-fire insights on a variety of topics. This guide curates the must-see talks so you can plan your agenda and absorb concise tips, best practices and innovative ideas.
What you’ll learn
Discover a wide spectrum of cloud native subjects – from confidential VMS and eBPF to WASM vs Docker and predictive autoscaling. Lightning talks provide bite-sized knowledge that you can immediately apply.
Highlighted sessions
- Confidential VMS in KubeVirt: Securing VMS With Trusted Execution Environments
- KOs at the Edge: Minimal Kubernetes, Maximum Impact
- OpenKruise: Advancing Kubernetes Workload Automation for Scalable, Disruption-Free Operations
- Optimising SNAT Port and IP Address Management in Kubernetes
- WASM vs Docker: Partners, Not Rivals & Predictive Autoscaling in Kubernetes With KEDA and Prophet