Open Construct Foundation Launches CDK Construct Library Initiative
Colorado, USA - 2024-02-15
The Open Construct Foundation today unveils a new community-driven CDK construct library initiative. It marks a significant step forward in AWS infrastructure development, leveraging the collective expertise of experienced CDK users.
The library will focus on offering an extensive range of L2 and L3 constructs to extend the core library provided by AWS. Under the careful stewardship of the Open Construct Foundation, it will undergo thorough reviews and stringent security checks, ensuring top-quality and reliable constructs for the AWS community.
The initiative brings several key benefits to the CDK community. Firstly, it enhances construct availability by offering a wider range of higher-level constructs, thereby enriching the CDK ecosystem. The library is backed by the Open Construct Foundation, ensuring that the resources provided are trusted and reliable. This rigorous oversight boosts confidence in the library among users. Additionally, the initiative is expected to drive increased adoption as organizations can leverage these well-maintained constructs for their projects. Lastly, the initiative fosters community growth by paving the way for a more vibrant and collaborative CDK community.
In the upcoming months, our team will be dedicated to developing and establishing this project’s required processes and procedures. We understand the importance of careful planning and execution to ensure this initiative’s success and smooth operation. Additionally, we will be working to assemble a group of experienced maintainers responsible for this project’s ongoing maintenance and improvement.
We are actively seeking individuals who are passionate about this initiative and are willing to lend their support and expertise.
We welcome contributions from all members of the community. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting out your ideas and expertise are valuable to us. We believe that by working together, we can create something truly remarkable. Join us in the cdk.dev Slack workspace (#community-construct-library channel)
About the Open Construct Foundation
The Open Construct Foundation, founded in 2019, is a non-profit organization that plays a pivotal role in the AWS CDK ecosystem. In addition to launching the community-driven CDK construct library, the foundation also manages the cdk.dev Slack workspace and organizes the CDK Day conference. These initiatives foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the advancement of the CDK community. (https://openconstructfoundation.org/)
Q: What is the Open Construct Foundation?
A: The Open Construct Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the community by building an ecosystem around the AWS CDK that benefits the users and the community members by making available code developed by and for the community with the explicit purpose of sharing among the public. It is located in Colorado, USA. Other initiatives of the Open Construct Foundation include the cdk.dev Slack workspace and CDK Day.
Q: Why should we do this?
A: The CDK team prefers that the most new L2s & L3s be published by the community. While the team focuses on the fundamental features of the framework, higher-level constructs are essential for the CDK ecosystem. However, there is limited trust in random libraries found on constructs.dev.
Q: How will the community-driven CDK construct library be governed?
A: The Open Construct Foundation will oversee ownership, reviews, and security checks to ensure the library’s integrity and reliability.
Q: Who will maintain the library?
A: The library will be maintained by experienced CDK users from the AWS community who are passionate about driving its success. The maintainers will be selected by the Open Construct Foundation and will be responsible for the adherence to the development process and the quality of the library.
Q: How will trust in these community-driven constructs be established?
A: The involvement of trusted maintainers, rigorous security checks, and the oversight of the Open Construct Foundation will foster trust in these constructs. It is worth noting that the Open Construct Foundation’s initiative to create a community-driven CDK construct library is not unique. Many other foundations exist that support and maintain open-source software projects across various industries. These foundations play a crucial role in fostering collaboration, ensuring code quality, and providing support services for the community.
Q: Can companies offer support services for the libraries?
A: Yes, companies will have the opportunity to provide support services for the community-driven CDK construct library, enabling them to offer additional value to users.
Q: Could this initiative extend to other parts of the “constructs” ecosystem?
A: Yes, there is potential for this initiative to expand to include projen libraries and custom project types, further enhancing the overall ecosystem. Libraries for CDKtf could also be in the future scope of this initiative.
Q: How can developers contribute to the community-driven CDK construct library?
A: Developers can contribute to the library by submitting their L2 and L3 constructs for review and inclusion. The Open Construct Foundation will ensure a thorough evaluation process to maintain the quality and reliability of the library.
Q: What benefits will companies gain from using these community-driven constructs?
A: Companies using these community-driven constructs will benefit from the expertise and contributions of AWS community members and experienced CDK users. They can leverage these constructs with confidence, knowing they have undergone rigorous reviews and security checks.
Q: How will the community-driven CDK construct library be made accessible to developers?
A: The community-driven CDK construct library will be made available through a centralized repository, ensuring easy access and discoverability for developers. It will be published in the same languages and through the same channels as the AWS CDK itself.
Q: Will the community-driven CDK construct library be open source?
A: Yes, the community-driven CDK construct library will be open source, allowing developers to freely use, modify, and contribute to the library. It will be licensed under the Apache 2.0 license.
Q: How can developers provide feedback or report issues with the library?
A: Developers can provide feedback and report issues with the community-driven CDK construct library through the designated issue tracker or discussion forums on GitHub. This feedback will help improve the library and address any concerns or bugs that arise.
Q: How can developers stay updated on the latest developments and releases of the library?
A: Developers can stay updated on the latest developments and releases of the community-driven CDK construct library by following the project’s GitHub repository, and actively participating in the community discussions on the cdk.dev Slack workspace.
Q: What happens with the existing L2 / L3 constructs
A: The existing L2 / L3 constructs will remain within the AWS CDK (aws-cdk-lib) and will be developed and maintained by the CDK team. There might be exceptions to this in very specific cases, but this is not meant to be the norm. We try to avoid having two versions of the same construct available to users.
Q: Will the OCF contribute to the AWS-maintained CDK project?
A: Yes, if a construct reaches a point where the CDK team wants to adopt it into the official AWS CDK, we will hand over the construct to the CDK library and mark it deprecated inside of the community-maintained library. We will need to figure out how to handle the commit authorship for the PR.