In a move that’s sending ripples of excitement through the cloud-native and database communities, Percona, a leading provider of open-source database solutions and services, has announced a significant donation: its powerful database provisioning platform, Everest, is now an open-source project under the stewardship of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), and has been renamed OpenEverest.
This pivotal announcement, made on January 8th, 2026, by Percona’s News Editor, Jenna Barron, marks a new chapter for a platform designed to streamline and automate the complex world of database deployment and management. For developers, DevOps engineers, and data architects, this transition to the CNCF is more than just a change of ownership; it signifies a commitment to open collaboration, accelerated innovation, and a future where managing diverse database environments in the cloud becomes significantly more accessible and powerful.
From Everest to OpenEverest: A Vision for Modularity and Flexibility
The journey from Percona’s Everest to the community-driven OpenEverest is rooted in a strategic redesign. The platform has been meticulously re-architected to be inherently modular. This isn’t just a technical detail; it’s the core philosophy that empowers users with unparalleled flexibility. Imagine a toolbox where you can pick and choose the best tools for your specific job, without being constrained by pre-selected kits. That’s the essence of OpenEverest.
This modularity means that users are no longer tethered to a single vendor’s ecosystem. Instead, they can effortlessly ‘mix and match’ their preferred database engines, storage backends, and deployment strategies. The platform is designed with extensibility at its heart, and this is brilliantly realized through its plugin architecture.
The Power of Plugins: Customization at Your Fingertips
OpenEverest’s website eloquently captures this spirit: “Want to integrate with your favorite monitoring tool? It’s a plugin. Need to sync data between database clusters of different vendors? Plugin. Custom backup solutions? Plugin. The modular architecture means you’re never locked into a single vendor’s ecosystem – mix and match the tools that work best for your needs.”
This statement is a clarion call to developers and organizations seeking greater control and agility. For instance, a team might use a specific cloud provider’s storage solution, a leading open-source database like PostgreSQL or MySQL, and a popular observability platform like Prometheus. With OpenEverest, integrating these components becomes a seamless experience. The ability to develop and deploy custom plugins means that even highly specialized or niche requirements can be met, fostering an environment where innovation is not stifled by platform limitations.
This plugin-driven approach is particularly significant for DevSecOps pipelines. Imagine automating the deployment of secure, compliant database instances with custom security policies and auditing tools built directly into the provisioning process. The flexibility offered by OpenEverest allows for the integration of security scanning tools, secrets management solutions, and policy enforcement mechanisms, embedding security from the very first step of database lifecycle management.
CNCF Stewardship: A Boost for Collaboration and Sustainability
By donating OpenEverest to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), Percona is placing the platform into the hands of a vibrant and globally recognized organization dedicated to advancing cloud-native technologies. The CNCF is home to foundational projects like Kubernetes, Prometheus, and Helm, and its endorsement of OpenEverest signifies its potential to become a similarly vital component of the cloud-native ecosystem.
This move is strategic for several reasons. Firstly, it fosters broader collaboration. With the CNCF as its home, OpenEverest will benefit from contributions from a diverse community of developers, organizations, and cloud-native enthusiasts. This collective intelligence can lead to faster bug fixes, new feature development, and a more robust, well-tested platform.
Secondly, it ensures long-term sustainability. Projects under the CNCF umbrella often enjoy a longer lifespan and greater resilience due to the foundation’s governance model and community support. This provides assurance to users and contributors alike that OpenEverest will continue to evolve and be maintained for years to come.
Percona’s Continued Commitment: Solanica and Enterprise-Grade Support
Percona’s commitment to OpenEverest doesn’t end with the donation. In a testament to their dedication, Percona is establishing Solanica, a new company specifically focused on the development of OpenEverest and the support of its burgeoning community. This ensures that the deep expertise and development momentum that Percona brought to Everest will continue, albeit with a dedicated entity.
Furthermore, existing Percona Everest users can rest assured that their enterprise-grade reliability, security, and support will remain uncompromised. This dual approach – nurturing an open-source community while maintaining high standards for enterprise users – is a smart strategy that caters to a wide spectrum of needs.
Blair Rampling, vice president of product management at Percona, articulated the vision behind this transition: “OpenEverest represents the next stage in the evolution of the project. By establishing it as an independent open source project, we are creating the conditions for broader collaboration, faster innovation, and long-term sustainability, while maintaining continuity and enterprise-grade support for users.”
This statement highlights a crucial balance: the drive for open innovation and community growth, coupled with the unwavering commitment to delivering robust, enterprise-ready solutions. This approach is vital for adoption, especially in regulated industries where data management demands the highest levels of trust and performance.
Impact on the Data Landscape: DevSecOps, Architecture, and Data Science
The implications of OpenEverest’s integration into the CNCF are far-reaching, touching upon several critical areas of modern technology:
DevOps and DevSecOps: The automated provisioning and flexible integration capabilities of OpenEverest are a boon for DevOps and DevSecOps teams. Developers can spin up database instances quickly, experiment with different configurations, and integrate custom security checks seamlessly into their CI/CD pipelines. This reduces lead times, improves developer productivity, and embeds security into the earliest stages of the development lifecycle.
Development & Architecture: Architects can now design more heterogeneous and adaptable data infrastructures. The ability to easily swap out database engines or storage solutions without a complete overhaul of the provisioning system provides immense architectural freedom. This is particularly relevant for microservices architectures, where different services might benefit from specialized database technologies.
Data Science: For data scientists, access to diverse, provisioned data environments is crucial for experimentation and model training. OpenEverest can simplify the process of setting up specialized databases or data warehousing solutions, allowing data scientists to focus more on analysis and less on infrastructure wrangling. The potential for integrating data pipelines and ETL tools via plugins further enhances its value for data-centric roles.
Databases and AI: As AI and machine learning continue to permeate every aspect of technology, the demand for efficient and scalable database solutions that can serve AI workloads is exploding. OpenEverest’s ability to provision and manage various database types, coupled with its potential for integration with AI-powered monitoring and optimization tools, positions it as a key enabler for AI-driven applications.
Business and Innovation: The adoption of OpenEverest can lead to significant cost savings by reducing manual configuration overhead and enabling more efficient resource utilization. Furthermore, the accelerated pace of innovation driven by community contributions can provide businesses with a competitive edge, allowing them to adopt new database technologies and strategies more quickly.
The Road Ahead: A Collaborative Future
The donation of OpenEverest to the CNCF is a strategic masterstroke that promises to democratize advanced database management. By embracing a modular, plugin-driven, and community-centric approach, OpenEverest is set to become an indispensable tool for anyone navigating the complexities of cloud-native data environments.
As the project gains momentum within the CNCF, we can anticipate a rich ecosystem of plugins, integrations, and community-driven enhancements. This open approach not only fosters innovation but also ensures that OpenEverest will adapt and evolve to meet the ever-changing demands of the data landscape. It’s an exciting time for database management, and OpenEverest, now with the collective power of the CNCF community behind it, is poised to lead the way.