The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source NATS and the CNCF kerfuffle (Interview)
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May 16, 2025 Derek Collison, creator of NATS and CEO of Synadia, dives into the fascinating journey of NATS, a top-notch open-source messaging system for cloud-native frameworks. He shares unique insights on its design and evolution, along with recent tensions between Synadia and the CNCF, exploring the challenges of open-source governance. Derek discusses the implications of programming languages on NATS's functionality and the commercial challenges of sustaining open-source projects. Tune in for a captivating look at navigating innovation and community dynamics!
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NATS Origin Story
- Derek Collison built NATS originally as a lightweight, reliable messaging system to replace heavier alternatives like TIBCO and RabbitMQ.
- He created it quickly over a weekend, with initial applications still compatible with today's versions.
NATS vs Traditional Systems
- NATS allows location-independent messaging unlike traditional IP-dependent systems like Tailscale.
- It supports end-to-end messaging with push and pull, making it scalable for diverse cloud native use cases.
Open Source and Synadia Founding
- Derek pitched open sourcing NATS while at VMware and released it as MIT licensed software.
- Synadia was founded in 2017 to commercialize NATS for modern distributed systems, especially with an eye toward the growing Edge computing trend.