Navigating The OpenSSF is as Easy as Floating Down A Lazy River

By Sally Cooper

The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) ecosystem features a vast collection of projects and working groups. We want to make participation simple. We built curated User Journeys to guide you through resources, communities, and projects tailored to your role.

Think of it like a lazy river at a water park. You hop on an inner tube and let the current guide you. There is no map required and no need for prior experience. These paths connect you to the tools and initiatives that support your goals, in the order that makes sense. Just choose your entry point and start your journey.

Before we point you to your entry point, here’s a video look at what you can expect:

How Do I Choose the Right OpenSSF User Journey for My Role?

Each journey is a different spot to push off from. Find the one that sounds like your job:

Software Developers, if you write the code the rest of us depend on, this is your lane. Secure development practices, tools that slot into the workflow you already have, best practices worth stealing, and the community building a safer ecosystem alongside you.

Security Engineers, for the people whose job is spotting the rocks under the surface before anyone hits them. Practical guidance, technical initiatives, standards, and the working groups focused on protecting the software supply chain.

OSPO Leaders, if you’re the one keeping your whole organization pointed in the same direction, start here: governance resources, policy guidance, education, and strategies to strengthen your open source security program.

Marketing & Community Professionals, you’re the one who tells everyone how nice the water is and encourages them to participate. Learn how to amplify open source projects, tell technical stories that land, showcase contributors, and grow community participation.

Executives & Technology Leaders, this is the view from up top, where the whole route comes into focus: business risk, industry collaboration, policy, and how OpenSSF helps your organization build and buy software people can actually trust.

Do I Need Experience to Contribute to the OpenSSF?

You don’t need to be an expert before you show up to a Working Group meeting. You don’t need permission to participate. You don’t even need to know exactly where you belong yet. Start where you are; the whole point of a current is that you don’t have to paddle the entire way.

What Resources and Benefits are Included in an OpenSSF User Journey?

As you move through your journey, you’ll drift past more than documentation. Expect educational resources and best practices, real technical projects, and Working Groups, podcasts and Tech Talks, case studies, community events, and, when you are ready, plenty of room to contribute your own expertise.

The nice part is how one thing leads to the next. A resource points you to a working group. The working group pulls you into a conversation. The conversation turns into your first contribution. You build confidence and connections almost without noticing.

Who Contributes to the OpenSSF Community?

Good company. The OpenSSF is built by a global community of maintainers, developers, researchers, security experts, marketers, educators, and leaders. We all share one goal: making open source software more secure.

Our community impact is growing every day, with more than 300 organizations contributing code and almost 6,000 on the community Slack. Whatever your background or experience level, there is a place here where you can contribute.

How Do I Begin My Journey With the OpenSSF?

Pick the journey that matches your role, begin at your own pace, and see where the current takes you. That is it. No test, no gatekeeping, no wrong turn.

We have been saving you a float. See you out there.

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank Christopher “CRob” Robinson for kicking off and leading the vision for this project, as well as Angelah Liu and Stacey Potter for presenting it at the Open Source Summit North America. I appreciate the support of the Marketing Advisory Council, DevRel, and BEAR Working Groups for their work in developing the User Personas and Journeys. Special thanks to Jeff Diecks for managing the project and Olivia Mortensen for the creative work. And thank you to Adrianne Marcum for her patience while we worked through this initiative.

Choose Your Journey Today

Still deciding? Watch the Talk | View the Slides | Pick a float.

About the Author

Sally Cooper is a Senior Communications & Marketing Manager and leads marketing and communications for the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF). She helps the community share their stories and shines a light on the work that keeps open source secure for everyone.