Open Source Summit + Embedded Linux Conference North America 2026

Docker popularized the container; OCI standardized the artifact. That shift, from a specific format to a global specification, is what allowed us to expand beyond just 'running apps.' Now, whether it's Cosign for security, OpenTofu for infrastructure, or Zarf for air-gapped distribution, the ecosystem is leveraging a common foundation to solve complex supply chain problems. Additionally, Kubernetes’ recent work on OCI read-only volumes signifies a paradigm shift: we are now using images as a pure data transfer mechanism rather than just a runtime environment. Yet the elegant design that enables the OCI images is mostly hidden from users.

In this session, we'll create our own custom OCI artifact from scratch. Along the way, we'll learn the benefits of the OCI specification: the efficiency of its storage model, its simple cross-platform experience, and its secure-by-default design. Developers will walk away with a starting point for packaging their own custom artifacts, while practitioners will gain a deeper understanding of the OCI artifacts powering their workflows.