Recently, I contributed a PR to kubernetes-sigs/hydrophone, a CNCF project used for Kubernetes end-to-end testing.
The goal was simple but impactful:
👉 Update the Kubernetes and kind versions used in the e2e test environment.
This blog explains:
Why this PR was needed
What changes I made
How the review/merge process works in CNCF orgs
What I learned as a DevOps & Cloud Engineering student
Tips for beginners contributing to Kubernetes SIGs
🌟 What is Hydrophone?
Hydrophone is a lightweight test runner used in Kubernetes SIG-Testing. It defines and executes:
e2e workflows
Conformance test suites
Validation checks for Kubernetes clusters
Whenever Kubernetes ships a new version, Hydrophone helps validate:
✔ API behaviour
✔ Conformance guarantees
✔ Compatibility
✔ Cluster setup reliability
Keeping Hydrophone’s e2e environment updated is critical.
🎯 What Problem Was I Solving?
The script hack/run-e2e.sh was using older versions:
K8S_VERSION=v1.29.2
KIND_VERSION=v0.22.0
But newer stable releases were available:
Kubernetes: v1.34.0
kind: v0.30.0
Using outdated versions leads to:
❌ Mismatches with TestGrid
❌ Difficulty reproducing failures locally
❌ Unsupported APIs
❌ Inconsistent e2e results
So my PR updated the version variables.
🛠 My Contribution (PR #283)
Updated lines:
K8S_VERSION=${K8S_VERSION:-v1.34.0}
KIND_VERSION=${KIND_VERSION:-v0.30.0}
After updating, I:
✔ Verified compatibility
✔ Ran local kind clusters
✔ Ensured e2e tests passed
✔ Wrote a clean PR description
✔ Monitored TestGrid after merge
A small but meaningful contribution that keeps Hydrophone aligned with the latest Kubernetes ecosystem.
🔄 The Review & Merge Journey
This was the exciting part!
- k8s-ci-robot responded
It waited for an org member to approve testing.
- /ok-to-test
A maintainer triggered the CI pipeline.
- /lgtm + /approve
Reviewers validated & approved the PR.
- TestGrid Monitoring
I tracked these dashboards:
https://testgrid.k8s.io/sig-testing-misc#hydrophone-e2e-check
https://testgrid.k8s.io/sig-testing-misc#hydrophone-conformance-check
All tests were green 💚 after the version bump.
🤝 What I Learned from This Contribution
🧩 1. How SIG workflows operate
Seeing /ok-to-test, /lgtm, /approve in action was a valuable experience.
🛠 2. Importance of updating test infra
Even a tiny bump improves CI stability.
📊 3. Monitoring TestGrid
Understanding periodic jobs is essential for DevOps engineers.
🔍 4. Writing clear PRs
Good descriptions = faster reviews.
💬 5. Communication with maintainers
Acknowledging feedback + iterating builds trust.
🧪 Why DevOps Engineers Should Contribute to CNCF Projects
Contributing helped me grow in:
Infrastructure as Code
CI/CD workflows
Kubernetes internals
Open-source collaboration
Real-world debugging
Bash scripting
Working with global maintainers
If you're a DevOps/cloud engineer, CNCF contributions give you:
✔ Visibility
✔ Credibility
✔ Hands-on skills
✔ Confidence
🧭 Tips for Beginners Who Want to Contribute to Kubernetes
1️⃣ Start with “good first issue”
Repos under kubernetes-sigs have beginner-friendly issues.
2️⃣ Reproduce issues locally
Use kind or minikube.
3️⃣ Keep PRs small
Small PRs get merged quickly.
4️⃣ Join Kubernetes Slack
SIG-Testing and SIG-Contributor Experience are great places to start.
5️⃣ Write clear commit messages
It helps maintainers understand the changes.
6️⃣ Don’t hesitate to ask
The community is very friendly ✨
📌 Final Thoughts
This PR made Hydrophone’s test environment more modern, stable, and aligned with Kubernetes 1.34.
Contributing to CNCF projects has been an amazing journey for me as a DevOps & Cloud student — and I hope this blog inspires others to start their open-source journey too!
If you want to contribute to Kubernetes, feel free to reach out — happy to help 💬🙂
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