Contribution Ladder

A transparent, merit-based path from first-time contributor to trusted maintainer in the KubeStellar community

How do we audit our contributor ladder?
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1

Contributor

Start your journey in the KubeStellar community

Requirements:

  • •Minimum of 3 contributions (bug reports, documentation, or code PRs)
  • •Display enthusiasm and interest in long-term participation
  • •Be active on GitHub and Slack
  • •Informal application or nomination to join the mentee program

Opportunities in Good Standing:

Contributors in good standing (meeting their metrics for help-wanted issue creation, PR reviews, and merged PRs) qualify for professional opportunities including assignment to mentor projects.

Next Level:
Unpaid Mentee
2

Unpaid Mentee

12 weeks

12-week journey to demonstrate commitment and skill

Requirements:

  • •Open at least 6 'help wanted' issues
  • •Merge at least 20 PRs (8 within first 6 weeks)
  • •Attend weekly team meetings or submit summaries
  • •Work collaboratively with mentors
  • •Receive mentor's recommendation

Opportunities in Good Standing:

Unpaid mentees in good standing receive certificates of completion, letters of recommendation, and priority consideration for paid mentorship programs (GSoC, LFX, etc.).

Next Level:
Paid Mentee
3

Paid Mentee

Recognized contributor with compensation and responsibility

Requirements:

  • •Successfully complete at least one 12-week paid mentorship cycle
  • •Help onboard and support at least one new mentee or contributor
  • •Submit ≥3 PR reviews
  • •Submit ≥5 helpful comments on PRs or issues
  • •Present or co-present at a community call

Opportunities in Good Standing:

Paid mentees in good standing receive professional references, career mentorship, and opportunities to lead projects or mentor others.

Next Level:
Mentor
4

Mentor

Guide and support the next generation of contributors

Requirements:

  • •Demonstrate technical leadership in one or more key areas
  • •Maintain consistent contribution activity
  • •Engage with the community in GitHub and Slack
  • •Approved by core maintainers following a public review process

Opportunities in Good Standing:

Mentors in good standing can lead initiatives, represent KubeStellar at conferences, receive speaker support, have input on project roadmap decisions, and are eligible to receive training / exam vouchers from CNCF for successfully completed projects.

Next Level:
Maintainer
5

Maintainer

Trusted leader with full project responsibilities

Requirements:

  • •≥2 'Help Wanted' issues every 2 months
  • •≥3 PRs merged every 2 months
  • •≥8 PR reviews or constructive comments every 2 months
  • •≥3 community meeting attendances every 2 months

Opportunities in Good Standing:

Maintainers in good standing have full write access, voting rights on project decisions, and can serve as official project representatives.

Next Level:
Ambassador
6

Ambassador

Empower and advocate for KubeStellar adoption

Requirements:

  • •Actively promote KubeStellar through blog posts, presentations, or social media
  • •Represent KubeStellar at meetups, conferences, or community events
  • •Create educational content (tutorials, videos, demos) about KubeStellar
  • •Engage with users to gather feedback and support adoption
  • •Maintain maintainer-level activity (issues, PRs, community engagement)

Opportunities in Good Standing:

Ambassadors in good standing qualify for speaking opportunities, co-authoring blog posts, early access to new features, and promotional support for their advocacy efforts.

Ready to Start Your Journey?

Join the KubeStellar community and begin climbing the maintainer ladder today

Community Meetings
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Explore Code

Browse our codebase and contribute to the project

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Join Slack

Connect with the community for real-time discussions

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Learn Guide

Read our comprehensive contribution handbook

View Handbook →