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0001-site-ownership-and-cutover-path.md

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ADR 0001: Site ownership and cutover path for endusers.cncf.io

  • Status: Accepted
  • Status note: Option A — the repository has been transferred to the cncf GitHub org, which is the fact GitHub's own repository metadata now confirms. This ADR is not aware of a separate, minuted CNCF TOC/TAB vote; if one exists, link it here. The remaining DNS cutover to endusers.cncf.io is still open — see "Consequences" below.
  • Date: 2026-08-08
  • Tracking issue: #46

Context

The README describes this site as "the home of the CNCF End User Community" and the build deploys content branded endusers.cncf.io. At the time this ADR was originally written:

  • The source repository lived in a personal account (castrojo/endusers), not a CNCF-owned GitHub org.
  • The repository's GitHub Pages homepage was castrojo.github.io/endusers, not the endusers.cncf.io domain.
  • Content is derived from authoritative CNCF sources (cncf/architecture, cncf/landscape, cncf/tab), so alignment with CNCF is already a stated requirement (see AGENTS.md).

Since then, the repository has been transferred: it now lives at cncf/endusers, with GitHub Pages served at cncf.github.io/endusers. The endusers.cncf.io domain itself is still not wired up (no DNS record, no static/CNAME), so every investment in content, SEO, and metrics still accumulates under a staging URL rather than the intended production domain. This remaining DNS cutover is what blocks Phase 3 of the roadmap (see ROADMAP.md).

Decision drivers

  • Legitimacy and community trust: an end-user-facing CNCF property should be unambiguously CNCF-owned.
  • Maintainer bus factor: the repo currently has a single active human maintainer (see issue #47).
  • Licensing and governance prerequisites: a LICENSE (issue #32 / PR #40) and a MAINTAINERS.md / governance note (issue #47) are foundational regardless of which option is chosen.
  • Speed of iteration: the site is still assembling its content pillars (architectures, metrics, awards, community, events) and benefits from fast, low-ceremony iteration in the near term.

Options considered

Option A: Donate/transfer to the cncf GitHub org

Transfer the repository (or a clean successor) into the cncf org, matching the branding already used across the site.

  • Pros: Maximizes legitimacy; unlocks a larger maintainer pool via CNCF processes; makes the endusers.cncf.io domain claim accurate.
  • Cons: Requires CNCF TOC/TAB buy-in and org onboarding steps; blocked on LICENSE and governance being in place first; timeline depends on CNCF process, not this repo alone.

Option B: Stay personal as a staging/prototype

Keep the repository in the personal account for now, continue iterating quickly, and revisit DNS/ownership once content and governance mature.

  • Pros: No process overhead; fastest iteration; low risk of stalling content work while ownership is discussed.
  • Cons: Risk of community confusion about which site is authoritative while the domain is referenced but not yet backed by CNCF-owned infrastructure; defers the decision rather than resolving it.

Option C: Merge into an existing CNCF site repo

Fold this content into an existing CNCF property (for example the contributor-site or cncf.io) instead of standing up a new one.

  • Pros: Avoids maintaining a new property and its infrastructure; reuses existing governance and maintainer pool.
  • Cons: Risks diluting the end-user audience and voice inside a contributor- or marketing-oriented site; may not fit the existing site's information architecture.

Decision

Option A (transfer to the cncf GitHub org) has been executed. The repository now lives at cncf/endusers instead of castrojo/endusers, which resolves the ownership question this ADR was tracking. This section records that fact as it is verifiable from GitHub's repository metadata; it does not assert that a specific CNCF TOC/TAB meeting or vote produced this outcome. If such a record exists, please link it here in a follow-up PR.

Proposed next step

  1. Open a discussion with CNCF end-user community and TAB stakeholders on the intended long-term home for this content — superseded by the transfer. The outreach draft at stakeholder-outreach-draft-for-0001.md is retained for historical context on the options considered.
  2. Land the prerequisites shared by every option regardless of outcome: LICENSE (done: #32 / PR #40) and a governance/MAINTAINERS note (#47).
  3. Execute the DNS cutover to endusers.cncf.io (add static/CNAME, verify the custom domain in GitHub Pages settings, and switch the deploy workflow's SITE_URL/BASE_URL), then update ROADMAP.md Phase 3 accordingly.

Consequences

  • The ownership question is resolved: cncf/endusers is the canonical, CNCF-owned repository.
  • The remaining roadmap item that depends on ownership — DNS cutover to endusers.cncf.io and cross-linking with contribute.cncf.io/cncf.io — stays open until that cutover is executed.
  • This ADR should be superseded (not silently edited into a different decision) if the chosen path changes after being recorded, so the history of the decision stays auditable.