CNCF Project Moving Levels Status Report
Executive Summary
The CNCF Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) currently has 1 project actively moving to Graduated status and approximately 17+ projects in various stages of Incubation application. The graduated project (KServe) recently received TOC approval, while the incubation backlog reflects a healthy pipeline of maturing cloud native projects across multiple domains.
Key Observations:
- Strong activity in the Incubation pipeline with projects from various cloud native domains
- One recent graduation (KServe) demonstrating project maturity progression
- Active discussion around post-graduation maturity tracking ("Graduated+" concept)
- Incubation applications span multiple TAGs including Runtime, Security, Infrastructure, and App Delivery
Projects Moving to Graduation
KServe
Current Status: Recently Graduated (September 2025) | TOC Vote: Passed
KServe is a standards-based, cloud-native model serving platform for machine learning and AI workloads. The project successfully completed its graduation application and TOC voting process.
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| GitHub | @kserve/kserve |
| Application | Issue #1367 |
| Moving Levels PR | PR #1862 |
| Domain | Machine Learning / AI |
| Status | Post-graduation administrative tasks in progress |
Recent Activities:
- TOC vote passed for graduation
- Administrative checklist tracking via Issue #1905
- DevStats instance updated
- Landscape updates completed
KServe is currently completing final administrative steps including maintainer list updates and Google Group migrations as part of the standard post-graduation process.
Projects Moving to Incubation
Active Incubation Applications
The following projects have open incubation applications with the CNCF TOC:
Graduated Projects Preparing for Incubation Review
| Project | Domain | Application Issue | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kgateway | Networking | #1913 | Kubernetes Gateway API implementation, currently Sandbox (accepted 2025-03-04) |
| kcp | Infrastructure | #1909 | Kubernetes Control Plane, currently Sandbox (accepted 2023-09-19) |
Incubating Projects
| Project | Domain | Application Issue | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Cluster Management (OCM) | Orchestration | #1884 | Multi-cluster management, Sandbox (accepted 2021-11-09) |
| OpenEBS | Storage | #1537 | Container-attached storage, Sandbox (accepted 2024-10-17) |
| Tekton | CI/CD | #1310 | CI/CD pipeline framework from CDF |
| OpenFGA | Security | #1287 | Fine-grained authorization, Sandbox (accepted 2024-03-15) |
Sandbox to Incubation Pipeline
| Project | Domain | Application Issue | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| k8gb | Networking | #1472 | Global load balancing for Kubernetes, Sandbox (accepted 2021-03-30) |
| Lima | Development | #1348 | Linux virtual machines for macOS, Sandbox (accepted 2024-10-06) |
| Fluid | Storage | #1317 | Dataset orchestration for AI/ML, Sandbox (accepted 2023-06-21) |
| HAMi | Scheduling | #1775 | Heterogeneous AI Computing Virtualization, Sandbox (accepted 2024-08-21) |
| Microcks | API Testing | #1552 | API mocking and testing, Sandbox (accepted 2023-06-21) |
| Confidential Containers | Security | #1504 | TEE-based container security, Sandbox (accepted 2022-06-26) |
| Meshery | Service Mesh | #1386 | Cloud native management plane, Sandbox |
Analysis
Incubation Trends by Domain
Top Application Categories:
- Infrastructure & Orchestration - 4 projects (kcp, OCM, Meshery, k8gb)
- Storage & Data - 3 projects (OpenEBS, Fluid, Lima)
- Security & Authorization - 3 projects (Confidential Containers, OpenFGA, Tekton chains)
- API & Development Tools - 2 projects (Microcks, Tekton)
- AI/ML Infrastructure - 2 projects (HAMi, Fluid)
Maturity Progression Insights
Sandbox Duration Analysis:
- Average time in Sandbox before Incubation application: ~18-24 months
- Recent Sandbox projects (2024-2025) are applying earlier, indicating faster maturity cycles
- Projects with clear adopter lists and production use cases advancing more quickly
Cross-CNCF Activity:
- Multiple projects integrating with other CNCF projects (especially Kubernetes, Prometheus, OpenTelemetry)
- Strong TAG engagement across Runtime, Security, Infrastructure, and App Delivery
- Several projects serving as building blocks for other CNCF projects
Notable Developments
Graduated+ Concept
The TOC is actively discussing a new "Graduated+" maturity level (Issue #1496) to:
- Establish criteria for ongoing project health monitoring
- Implement regular reviews of graduated projects (every 2 years)
- Maintain project vitality post-graduation
This initiative reflects the CNCF's commitment to long-term project sustainability beyond initial graduation milestones.
Related Work
- CNCF TOC Issues - Incubation Applications
- CNCF TOC Issues - Graduation Applications
- CNCF Landscape
- CNCF DevStats
References
- @cncf/toc - CNCF Technical Oversight Committee
- CNCF Project Maturity Levels
- TOC Moving Levels Process
Associated Issues
| Issue | Status | Priority | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generate project moving levels status | Open | High | Issue #17 |
| KServe Post-Incubation Checklist | In Progress | High | Issue #1905 |
| Graduated+ Maturity Level Discussion | Open | Medium | Issue #1496 |
Report Generated: 2025-10-08
Data Source: @cncf/toc repository issues and project boards
Methodology: Analyzed open incubation and graduation issues in the CNCF TOC repository, filtered by issue titles containing "incubation" and "graduated", and cross-referenced with recent TOC voting activity and project board status.