Conference Description
Key Takeaways
- All Things Open 2026 takes place October 19–20 at the Raleigh Convention Center in North Carolina
- Core topics include open source software, AI agents, DevSecOps, cloud computing, and Model Context Protocol
- Programming features hands-on workshops, deep dive sessions, co-located summits, and over 100 speakers
- Designed for developers, engineers, cloud architects, AI practitioners, and technical leaders
- Strong emphasis on accessibility, diversity, inclusion, and open source governance
Introduction
All Things Open 2026 returns as one of the largest open source technology conferences on the U.S. east coast, bringing together thousands of technologists to explore the tools, processes, and communities driving modern software development. Scheduled for October 19–20, 2026, at the Raleigh Convention Center, the event addresses a critical moment in the industry as organisations work to integrate artificial intelligence into development workflows while maintaining security, accessibility, and open governance principles.
About All Things Open 2026
Now established as a flagship gathering for the open source community, All Things Open combines traditional conference programming with extended hands-on workshops and co-located summits. The two-day format allows attendees to move between deep technical sessions and broader strategic discussions about the future of open source software.
The conference draws support from major technology organisations including Akamai, Google, IBM, Red Hat, Salesforce, and GitHub, alongside infrastructure-focused companies such as Neo4j, Grafana Labs, and Elastic. Foundation-level participation from the Linux Foundation, Cloud Native Computing Foundation, and Open Source Initiative reflects the event’s position within the broader open source ecosystem.
Technical Focus Areas
The 2026 programme centres on the intersection of artificial intelligence and open source development practices. Sessions covering AI agents and Model Context Protocol address how organisations are building intelligent systems that can interact with codebases and development environments. These topics have gained urgency as enterprises seek to leverage large language models within secure, auditable frameworks.
DevSecOps remains a prominent theme, reflecting ongoing industry efforts to embed security throughout the software development lifecycle rather than treating it as a final checkpoint. This approach has become essential as supply chain vulnerabilities continue to affect open source projects of all sizes.
Cloud computing and developer tooling sessions explore how modern infrastructure supports open source workloads, while accessibility tracks examine the technical and organisational practices required to build inclusive software products.
Community and Governance
Beyond technical content, All Things Open dedicates significant programming to the human elements of open source: community leadership, diversity and inclusion, and project governance. These sessions recognise that sustainable open source development depends as much on healthy contributor communities as on code quality.
The presence of organisations like the OpenSSF (Open Source Security Foundation) and RISC-V International highlights growing attention to both security governance and open hardware standards. As open source principles extend beyond software into silicon design and AI model development, conferences like All Things Open serve as forums for cross-pollination between these domains.
Who Should Attend
The conference serves a broad technical audience, from individual contributors to engineering leadership. Software engineers and DevOps professionals will find practical sessions on tooling and workflow integration, while cloud architects can explore infrastructure patterns for open source deployments. AI and machine learning practitioners benefit from content addressing the specific challenges of building intelligent systems with open technologies.
Developer advocates and community leaders gain exposure to strategies for growing and sustaining contributor bases. Technical executives and IT managers attending the event can assess emerging technologies and connect with vendors across the open source landscape.
Event Format
The in-person format emphasises interaction and hands-on learning. Extended workshops provide opportunities to work directly with technologies rather than simply observing demonstrations. Co-located summits allow focused communities—whether organised around specific projects, industries, or professional interests—to convene alongside the main conference programme.
With over 100 speakers scheduled across the two days, attendees can expect a mix of technical depth and strategic perspective from practitioners working at the forefront of open source development.