
The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source
NATS and the CNCF kerfuffle (Interview)
May 16, 2025 · 1 hr 36 min · 138.9 MB
0:00-1:36:21
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Derek Collison — creator of NATS and Co-founder & CEO of Synadia — joins the show to dive into the origins, design, and evolution of NATS, a high-performance, open-source messaging system built for modern cloud-native systems and part of the CNCF. Derek shares the story behind NATS, what makes it unique, and unpacks the recent tensions between Synadia and the CNCF over the future of the project.
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- Heroku – The Next Generation of Heroku “Fir” is coming soon — Fir is built on a foundation of cloud native technologies and open source standards, ensuring portability, interoperability, and a vibrant ecosystem for your applications. Cloud Native for everyone, for the next decade and beyond.
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Featuring:
- Derek Collison – GitHub, X
- Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
- Jerod Santo – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Show Notes:
- NATS.io
- Protecting NATS and the integrity of open source: CNCF’s commitment to the community
- CNCF and Synadia Align on Securing the Future of the NATS.io Project
- Synadia and the NATS project
Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!
Join the discussion
changelog.zulipchat.comChangelog++
changelog.comHeroku
heroku.comRetool
retool.comOutshift by Cisco
agntcy.orgGitHub
github.comX
x.comWebsite
adamstacoviak.comGitHub
github.comLinkedIn
linkedin.comMastodon
changelog.socialX
x.comWebsite
jerodsanto.netGitHub
github.comLinkedIn
linkedin.comMastodon
changelog.socialX
x.comNATS.io
nats.ioSynadia and the NATS project
synadia.comPRs welcome!
github.com
- 0:00This week on The Changelog
- 1:07Sponsor: Heroku
- 4:49Start the show!
- 6:32When did NATS start?
- 11:01Huge adoption for NATS
- 17:06Ladybird + Swift
- 21:45I'm still in the technical trenches of NATS
- 22:54We should build a business around this
- 26:51Future of modern distributed systems
- 29:51Sponsor: Retool
- 31:38Kerfuffle with CNCF
- 38:23Was CNCF's blog post a surprise?
- 43:58How clear were the requirements and expectations?
- 54:58Did you try to take your ball and go home?
- 1:00:39Sponsor: Outshift by Cisco
- 1:01:44Goals for leaving the CNCF hotel?
- 1:07:54Did NATS turnover the IP and trademark?
- 1:12:31Did you sign a clear agreement with terms spelled out?
- 1:18:55Commercial BSL fork vs open core
- 1:23:07There's SO MUCH nuance in this
- 1:33:00Rug pull, not cool. No pay, not OK.
- 1:33:55Closing thoughts and stuff