Open Container Initiative - Open Container Initiative Overview & Contact Data

The Open Container Initiative (OCI) is a collaborative governance structure that aims to establish open industry standards for container formats and runtimes. Founded in June 2015 by Docker and other industry leaders, the OCI has grown to become a key player in the container ecosystem. The organization currently oversees three specifications: the Runtime Specification, the Image Specification, and the Distribution Specification. These specifications outline the standards for creating and running containerized applications. The OCI Runtime Specification defines the requirements for running a containerized application, including how to unpack a "filesystem bundle" onto disk. In contrast, the OCI Image Specification outlines the requirements for creating a container image, which is then used to create an OCI Runtime filesystem bundle. The Distribution Specification, meanwhile, specifies the requirements for distributing container images. By establishing these open standards, the OCI enables developers to create and deploy containerized applications across different environments and platforms. The OCI has a growing community of members and stakeholders who contribute to the development and maintenance of its specifications. The organization also offers a certification program for tooling providers, ensuring that their products meet the OCI's standards. Notably, the OCI has released several updates to its specifications in recent years, including the OCI Runtime Spec v1.3.0 and the OCI Image and Distribution Specs v1.1 releases. These updates reflect the organization's commitment to evolving its standards to meet the needs of the rapidly changing container ecosystem.