The launch of the Certified Meshery Contributor (CMC) certification marked an important milestone for the Meshery project — the first CNCF certification of its kind - designed to uplevel and validate the skills of contributors, who are actively shaping the Meshery ecosystem through real, hands-on open source work. Following the announcement, contributors from across the community stepped forward to take the CMC and share their journey. In this post, Certified Meshery Contributors talk about what the certification was really like, what they learned along the way, and why they believe the CMC is worth pursuing.

What Preparing for the CMC Looked Like

The Certified Meshery Contributor certification validates technical proficiency gained through contributing to Meshery across its major architectural domains, including Meshery Server, CLI, UI, Models, and Extensibility.

For most contributors, preparing for the CMC was a natural extension of their existing work in the project.

“CMC was a really good learning experience for me. During the process, I explored Meshery more deeply — the documentation, concepts, and workflows, and understood better how the community works and how contributions are reviewed.” — Bhumika Garg

View Certified Meshery Contributor credential

The Exam Experience

The CMC exam is a time-bound, online assessment designed to reflect real contribution scenarios rather than theoretical knowledge.

“Calling it ‘just a certification’ would be an understatement. Before going through it, I didn’t know how to approach such a large codebase. The self-paced lectures and resources in the academy made contributing significantly easier. The exam felt closely aligned with the kind of understanding you build while working hands-on in the project.” — Pragalva Sapkota

“CMC feels less like a conventional certification and more like a structured way to deepen understanding of Meshery. Even though the assessment is MCQ-based, preparing for it naturally pushes you to explore the documentation thoroughly, connect different parts of the system, and reason from real contribution experience. It encourages learning by understanding how things fit together rather than memorizing facts, which makes the certification both meaningful and practical for contributors.” — Kaivalaya Dua

What Contributors Learned Through the Certification Journey

Through the certification journey, contributors deepened their understanding of Meshery as a platform and as a community-driven open source project.

“Certification helped me understand Meshery in a clear and structured way, with all the concepts and tools explained together in one place. It helped me understand schema-driven development and how Meshery maintains a single source of truth across the Server, UI, and CLI. The documentation quality is really good and well-maintained, which makes learning much smoother.” — Suhani “The CMC has been a very good learning journey for me. Before this, I knew a little about Meshery, but through this certification I understood it in a much better and more practical way. While preparing, I explored the documentation, tried things on my own, and learned how the community works and supports new contributors.” — Anmol Sah

What Earning the Certification Means to Contributors

Earning the Certified Meshery Contributor badge represents recognition of consistent, meaningful contributions to the project.

“If you feel stuck or unsure about how to start contributing to Meshery or any open source project, this program teaches you a lot. I’ve explored other communities and projects too, but the quality of this course is genuinely remarkable.” — Pragalva Sapkota

Advice for Future Certified Meshery Contributor Candidates

Certified contributors also shared advice for those considering the CMC certification.

“Don’t just read, try things hands-on, go through the documentation properly, and ask questions in the community whenever you’re stuck.” — Bhumika Garg

“Don’t rush through the certification. Take time to understand each concept, try things hands-on while going through the units, and don’t hesitate to ask questions in the community whenever you feel stuck.” — Suhani

Final Thoughts

The Certified Meshery Contributor certification reflects what open source contribution is all about, learning by doing, collaborating openly, and growing alongside a community. The experiences shared by Certified Meshery Contributors highlight that the CMC is not just an exam, but recognition of the skills and understanding gained through real participation in the Meshery ecosystem. Visit the Certified Meshery Contributor exam page to learn more and register. If you’re already contributing to Meshery or planning to start, the CMC is a meaningful next step in that journey.

- Meshery Maintainers

Share

« The Meshery Umbrella Expands