KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2025 is almost here, and whether you’re a cloud-native newcomer, seasoned SRE, or Kubernetes fan, Atlanta will be full of energy this month. The conference isn’t just for hardcore technologists, either. It’s designed for anyone interested in how cloud-native technology is shaping modern software and infrastructure. Here’s what to expect, which sessions we’ve circled on our schedules, and how to maximize your KubeCon + CloudNativeCon adventure this year.
KubeCon is the flagship event organized by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), focusing on Kubernetes. K8s helps companies run applications at scale, as does the cloud-native ecosystem that it’s part of. The event gathers thousands of developers, DevOps engineers, platform teams, architects, IT leaders, and students to share knowledge, best practices, and community spirit. You don’t need to be an expert to feel at home: KubeCon is known for having inclusive tracks, approachable speakers, and a fun, collaborative vibe.
This year, the KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America conference is happening November 10–13, 2025 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Monday, November 10 is dedicated to pre-event programming and community meetups, with the main event (keynotes, breakouts, expo hall) running from Tuesday to Thursday.
These are the events and sessions the Fairwinds team is really looking forward to attending, including the ones we’re participating in (we hope you attend and say hi!).
When: Monday November 10, 2025 9:00am - 5:30pm
Where: Building B | Level 4 | B405-406a
Focused solely on Backstage, the open framework for building developer portals, BackstageCon is a one-day conference designed for collaboration and learning. The community-organized, vendor-neutral setting aims to boost developer experience and effectiveness via open-source adoption.
When: Monday November 10, 2025 9:00am - 9:05am
Where: Building B | Level 3
Open Source SecurityCon is co-hosted by the CNCF and the OpenSSF, dedicated to strengthening the security posture of cloud-native and open source software. Sessions will cover major topics facing the community, including practical guidance on Software Supply Chain Security using tools like SLSA and Sigstore, architectural best practices for secure software development, and strategies for implementing effective Identity and Access Management policies. The event will also cover forward-looking challenges, such as integrating AI into security workflows and navigating the impact of new public policy on open source governance, helping attendees build more robust and resilient software.
When: Monday November 10, 2025 9:00am - 12:25pm
Where: Building B | Level 5 | Thomas Murphy Ballroom 4
KyvernoCon will discuss how to master Policy as Code and secure your cloud-native platform using Kyverno. You'll find focused content across all levels, from beginner tutorials on writing your first policy to advanced use cases like implementing dynamic controls with CEL and integrating policies directly into your Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs). The conference includes real-world case studies and practical guidance on using policy to simplify Kubernetes security, compliance, and developer enablement at scale.
When: Monday November 10, 2025 9:00am - 5:30pm
Where: Building B | Level 5 | Thomas Murphy Ballroom 1 + Thomas Murphy Ballroom 2-3
Platform Engineering Day tackles the real challenges of building and scaling IDPs. IDPs deliver curated, developer-centric experiences and tools to boost the velocity of internal teams like application developers. Building a great Developer Experience (DevEx) needs more than just tools, it requires a full socio-technical commitment. Join Platform Engineers, Product Managers, Architects, and cloud-native stakeholders to hear lessons in platform management.
When: Monday November 10, 2025 11:50am - 12:25pm
Where: Building B | Level 4 | B401-402
This panel will provide best practices and "Do's and Don'ts" for deploying and scaling AI infrastructure within large enterprises. Experts Madhuri Yechuri (Elotl), Robert Nishihara (Anyscale), Travis Addair (Predibase), Alolita Sharma (Apple), and Avant Vyas (Uber) will share production lessons on governance, data pipelines, and cost-effective AI/ML operations.
When: Monday November 10, 2025 12:15pm - 12:20pm
Where: Building B | Level 4 | B406b-407
Kevin Baichoo, Netflix, will present an overview of how Netflix runs Envoy at massive scale, highlighting its unique deployment architecture using OD-CDS. The session will dive into advanced techniques like WASM and Lua programmability, the operational challenges of running a sidecar, and the complexities of managing a multi-stakeholder control plane.
When: Monday November 10, 2025 12:20pm - 12:30pm
Where: Building B | Level 2 | B203
This lightning talk, presented by Rolf Schuster (FH Dortmund), explores the vital topic of Service Quality Management (SQM) as it applies to critical applications running at the edge. As cloud-native architectures extend to resource-constrained and geographically diverse edge locations, new challenges arise in maintaining performance and reliability. This session will outline key strategies and practices necessary to ensure high service quality for applications deployed outside of centralized data centers.
When: Monday November 10, 2025 12:45pm - 1:20pm
Where: Building B | Level 2 | B207-208
This panel will tackle the Day 2 operational challenges of running OpenTelemetry in production, moving beyond initial setup to focus on scaling, managing data volume, and ensuring collector reliability. Join experts Juraci Paixao Krohling (OllyGarden), Myrle Krantz (Grafana Labs), Aleksey Kats (Capital One), and Adriel Perkins (Liatrio) as they share diverse strategies for tackling stability, cost, and fleet management from operators in the trenches.
When: Tuesday November 11, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm
Where: Building B | Level 5 | Thomas Murphy Ballroom 2-3
Explore the world of platform engineering with open-source, cloud-native tooling in this intensive, hands-on workshop led by open-source experts Ana Margarita Medina (Upbound), Cortney Nickerson (Nirmata), Scott Rosenberg (TeraSky), and Christian Hernandez (GitOps Advocate). You will be guided through building a real Internal Developer Platform (IDP).
This session uses production-proven CNCF tools including Crossplane, Backstage, Argo CD, and Kyverno. It will cover the essential tools and practices needed to secure platform adoption and showcase how other companies are accelerating their platform journeys using these technologies.
When: Wednesday, November 12, 11:00–11:30am
Where: Building B | Level 3 | B302-303
Stevie Caldwell and Andy Suderman will cover a real-world challenge in this session: keeping your Kubernetes add-ons updated and secure. Add-ons are software components that extend and enhance the features and capabilities of a Kubernetes cluster beyond its basic functions. Think networking, security, and observability. Falling behind on updates can put your whole system at risk. This session is packed with stories, practical advice, and strategies for making upgrades less scary (and way less painful), even if you’re not a platform engineering pro.
When: Wednesday, November 12, 2:15–2:45pm
Where: Building B | Level 3 | B312-314
This panel features experts from Fairwinds, Datadog, E.ON Digital Technology GmbH, Intuit, and Akamai. The session looks at how teams are thinking beyond pretty charts. The focus is on building reliable, transparent platforms where you can spot issues before they become outages. Even if you’re not an observability expert, you’ll leave with tips on monitoring, automation, and keeping your infrastructure running smoothly, insights that help anyone supporting apps or services in production.
When: Wednesday November 12, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Where: Building B | Level 2 | Willow Garden Foyer
When:Thursday November 13, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Where: Building B | Level 2 | Willow Garden Foyer
Need a break from your busy day? Visit with the friendly therapy puppies! A little dose of puppy love is the perfect way to reduce stress and boost your mood.
We’re also excited to check out all the vendor booths and the Open Source Pavilion.
Since a lot of the events happen at the same time, we’re glad that CNCF will post the sessions on their YouTube channel, so if you can’t be there (or don’t have time to see everything you’re interested in), you’re in luck! (Except the puppies, you can really only see them live.)
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2025 will be one of the most exciting tech conferences of the year, and it’s packed with great talks, hands-on learning, and the chance to meet the people building, maintaining, and using Kubernetes and cloud-native tech. Whether you’re just starting out or helping run company-wide platforms, Atlanta is the place to level up your knowledge, make connections, and get inspired about the future of cloud technology.