LFX proposal: Update documentation CMS build pipeline

[craigbox]

This issue relates to an LFX mentorship project for Term 2, 2025. Please feel free to comment on this issue about how we might improve the proposal, but commenting here is not the same as applying to LFX.

• Description: istio.io is a large application in and of itself: static content is available in three languages with multiple versions, and
  a large testing infrastructure acts as the end-to-end testing for the Istio project, validating that the project works as
  documented whenever an update is made to the docs or Istio itself.

  In this project, you will be mentored towards maintainership of the Istio documentation build pipeline, including completing
  recently started work on multi-version availability and its integration with search engines, bringing the tooling for the
  deployment pipeline up to date, and laying groundwork for large content changes as ambient mode moves towards the default.

• Expected Outcome:

  • Clean builds and publishes, with no lingering warnings or errors
  • Updated documentation on contributing tests, such that a new user can easily contribute testable documentation
  • Published process for users to see old versions of the docs, where we no longer publish them on istio.io

• Recommended Skills: Integration, Systems engineering, scripting, programming (Bash/go), Hugo templating

Please note this project would best suit a graduate student with an interest in DevOps/systems engineering, as opposed to an undergraduate who is looking to learn to code.

Dos and don'ts for applying for this mentorship

• An LFX mentor is effectively a "hiring manager" and you're effectively applying for a job. Dozens of other people are applying too. Consider this in your interactions.

  • You want to stand out, but the mentor doesn't have bandwidth to coach everyone on how best to stand out.
  • There is lots of guidance on "how to write a cover letter" online. When you're applying for a job, researching the hiring manager is sensible; calling them beforehand to introduce yourself is not!
  • There are normally enough applicants that the mentor can drop all the CVs of people who didn't even write a cover letter.
  • Posting something generic about your interest on the LFX project issue or the project GitHub issue is not helpful. Apply through the portal when it opens.
  • An application that hints you have applied to every mentorship is standing out for the wrong reason.
  • A LinkedIn request that says "The idea of [COPIED AND PASTED PROJECT DESCRIPTION] is quite exciting & I'd love to contribute more to this" is bad too. What we hear is "you want a job".
  • Don't use a LLM. We know.

• If you're reaching out to the mentor privately, please remember that open source is largely done in public. Any requests for more clarification about the project can be raised and resolved in public. Everything else should go in the application packet.

• Jumping into issues in the community is a great, but it is very obvious to maintainers when someone is doing it to try to win a paid mentorship.

  • Proposing a fix for an issue is a good way to hint that you would be a capable candidate.
  • Take a look at the cultural norms in the community before jumping in. Don't go around trying to /assign yourself to issues that the mentor created when the community doesn't have a culture of claiming issues by assignment.
    • Don't ask if you can work on a "good first issue". Just assume you can. Worst case, two people send a PR at the same time, and you learn from each other.
    • Commenting "I would like to do this" can come across as cookie licking.
  • Most open source maintainers are paid. Very few people do free work on a project they don't use. Remember you don't have to do free work for a company to get a job there and you are not required to do free work on an OSS project to gain a mentorship. It's OK not to have had time.
  • That said, do realise that lots of people do free work on OSS projects for lots of reasons!

• Make sure your application communicates why this project in particular is interesting to you. CNCF software is niche - it's not web sites or mobile apps - so have a good story as to why you are applying here, in particular.

  • We know you are going to be paid and that's OK. Students don't tend to use cloud server software, so it's understood you are applying because you want to be paid or you want to gain skills in a certain area.
  • "I would like to find work in the field of X" or "I would like experience in doing Y to round out my skills" are complete sentences, but you should also explain why
  • If you "just want to get involved in open source", hack on a project you use yourself.

• Be realistic about the number of projects you apply to. Remember, low-effort applications are discarded immediately.

In the past, winning candidates have demonstrated their understanding of the project, proposed a solution, and set out how they will manage their time on the project. A candidate that turns up and shows they can add immediate value to the project, might even get a mentorship slot created exactly to their specification in the next cohort.

[Shashank-Ge]

Hello @craigbox and the Istio team,

I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the Istio documentation CMS build pipeline as part of the LFX Mentorship Program for Term 2, 2025. The complexity of managing multilingual static content, multiple versions, and the integration with a comprehensive testing infrastructure presents a compelling challenge that aligns with my interests and skills.

I have experience with static site generators and CI/CD pipelines, and I am eager to apply and further develop these skills in a real-world, large-scale open-source project like Istio. I am particularly interested in understanding how documentation systems can be optimized for scalability and maintainability.

Looking forward to it...

Best regards,
Shashank

[Denish3436]

Hi @craigbox

I came across this mentorship project and found it genuinely exciting. The idea of treating documentation like a full-fledged application with testing, clean builds, multi-version support, and real infrastructure is something I haven’t seen done at this scale before, and it really got me curious.

I’m currently a Developer Relations Intern at Qumulus Cloud, where I help Kubernetes users by creating documentation, onboarding tutorials, and hands-on guides. I’ve worked with tools like Kubernetes, ArgoCD, Terraform, and Docker, and I’ve also contributed to open-source projects during Hacktoberfest. I’m comfortable with scripting and have been working with Go as well.

I’ve started exploring the Istio docs repo and build process to understand how everything fits together. I’m especially interested in the parts around keeping old versions accessible and improving the contributor workflow for testable docs. It seems like a great opportunity to grow while also making the docs better for everyone.

Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful project proposal. I’d love to learn more, and I’m hoping to contribute meaningfully whether through this mentorship or otherwise.

Cheers,
Denish Tomar

[craigbox]

@Denish3436 @Shashank-Ge Thanks for your enthusiasm. Please ensure it's reflected in your application letters.
In case you're not selected this time around, we'd welcome you joining our #docs channel on Slack or otherwise starting to help out as you can. We're very happy to help anyone get up to speed with contributing to Istio, or open source in general.

[mdxabu]

Hello @craigbox,
I'm highly interested in the LFX 2025 Istio documentation build pipeline mentorship. The project's focus on treating docs as an application, with multi-versioning and tooling updates, is genuinely exciting.

My background in GoLang, Docker, CI/CD, and systems engineering, particularly from my Google Summer of Code experience, directly aligns with the project's needs. I'm keen to contribute to Istio's critical documentation infrastructure.

I've also submitted my formal application through the LFX portal.

Regards,
Mohamed Abdullah F

[craigbox]

@mdxabu Good, because commenting here is not factored into the application!

[JohanssonAI]

Hey @craigbox Can I know when the results will be announced?I have submitted the application but still I haven't received any mail regarding acceptance or rejection.

[craigbox]

@JohanssonAI selections have been made and should be communicated in the next 24 hours I hope.