DevConf.cz

DevConf.cz
Name	DevConf.cz
Status	Active
Genre	Free community conference
Frequency	Annual
Venue	Brno Exhibition Centre
Location	Brno, Czech Republic
First	2009
Organizer	Red Hat, Red Hat Czech
Attendance	~3,000 (typical)

DevConf.cz is an annual free community conference focused on Red Hat, open source software, and Linux ecosystems, held in Brno in the Czech Republic. The event attracts contributors, developers, system administrators, and managers from projects such as Fedora Project, CentOS, Ansible, Kubernetes, and OpenStack. Speakers and attendees frequently include representatives from organizations like Red Hat, IBM, SUSE, Canonical, and Google.

Overview

DevConf.cz functions as a regional hub for projects including Fedora Project, CentOS Stream, Eclipse Foundation, Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Linux Foundation, Apache Software Foundation, OpenStack Foundation, and The Document Foundation. The conference program covers technologies such as Kubernetes, Docker, Ceph, GlusterFS, Prometheus, Grafana, Istio, Knative, Tekton, Argo, Flannel, SELinux, and systemd. Community-driven initiatives like Open Source Initiative, Free Software Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Apache Software Foundation projects, and language ecosystems such as Python, Java, Golang, Rust, and JavaScript often feature in sessions.

History

The conference originated in 2009 as a local gathering organized by Red Hat employees at Red Hat Czech and has expanded alongside milestones like the acquisition of Red Hat by IBM and the creation of CentOS Stream. Over time, DevConf.cz has mirrored developments in projects such as Fedora Project releases, the evolution of OpenShift, and the rise of cloud native computing exemplified by Cloud Native Computing Foundation projects. Key historical moments echo broader events including the proliferation of containers after the advent of Docker and the maturation of distributed storage solutions like Ceph.

Organization and Structure

DevConf.cz is organized by volunteers and staff from Red Hat Czech, in coordination with upstream communities including Fedora Council members, CentOS Project contributors, and representatives from foundations such as the Linux Foundation and Cloud Native Computing Foundation. The organizing committee follows practices similar to other conferences like FOSDEM, KubeCon, Open Source Summit, and PyCon. Tracks are curated by track chairs and program committees comprising contributors from projects such as Ansible Community, OpenStack Community, GNOME, KDE, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and Prometheus Community.

Conference Program and Tracks

Typical tracks include topics on Cloud Computing, Containers, DevOps, Security, Storage, Networking, Middleware, CI/CD, Monitoring, Machine Learning, and Developer Productivity. Sessions often cover specific technologies like OpenShift, Kubernetes, Ansible, Terraform, Jenkins, GitLab, Zuul, Maven, Gradle, Node.js, Electron, TensorFlow, PyTorch, OpenAI-adjacent tooling, and interoperability topics addressed by CNCF projects. Workshops, lightning talks, BOFs, and hands-on labs mirror formats used at LinuxCon and DevOpsDays.

Speakers and Attendance

Speakers have included maintainers and contributors from projects such as Fedora Project, Ansible, Kubernetes, OpenStack, Ceph, GNOME, KDE, LibreOffice, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and companies like Red Hat, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Oracle Corporation, SUSE, Canonical, Intel Corporation, AMD, NVIDIA, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Spotify, Microsoft Research, Bell Labs, JetBrains, SAP SE, Siemens, Bosch, Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, HP Inc., VMware, and Rackspace Technology. Attendance commonly comprises contributors, system administrators, site reliability engineers from projects such as Prometheus, Grafana, Fluentd, Logstash, Elasticsearch, and students from institutions like Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology, Charles University, and Czech Technical University in Prague.

Sponsorship and Partnerships

Sponsorship and partnership models involve corporate sponsors and community foundations including Red Hat, IBM, SUSE, Canonical, Google, Microsoft, AWS, Intel Corporation, AMD, NVIDIA, JetBrains, Oracle Corporation, VMware, Dell Technologies, Cisco Systems, SAP SE, Bosch, Siemens, Eclipse Foundation, Linux Foundation, Cloud Native Computing Foundation, OpenStack Foundation, Apache Software Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Free Software Foundation, Open Source Initiative, and regional partners like the South Moravian Region and the City of Brno. Collaboration with user groups and conferences such as Fedora Users and Developers Conference, Czech Linux Users Group, Brno Ruby User Group, and PyCon CZ supports cross-promotion and joint workshops.

Impact and Community Outreach

DevConf.cz has amplified contributions to projects such as Fedora Project, CentOS Stream, Ansible, Kubernetes, OpenShift, OpenStack, Ceph, GNOME, KDE, LibreOffice, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL by fostering local and regional contributor onboarding programs similar to Google Summer of Code and mentoring initiatives like Outreachy. The conference supports diversity and inclusion efforts paralleling Mozilla Foundation and Linux Foundation programs, and partners with academic institutions including Masaryk University and Brno University of Technology for internships and research collaborations. DevConf.cz’s ecosystem influence echoes through European meetings such as FOSDEM, Devoxx, EclipseCon Europe, KubeCon EU, and regional policy dialogues involving European Commission digital initiatives.

Category:Conferences in the Czech Republic