Why Contributing to Zephyr Makes Sense for IoT Development Teams

At the Zephyr Meetup in Anaheim during Embedded World North America 2025, Carlos Mejia shared Croxel’s journey from Zephyr users to active contributors, addressing common misconceptions that discourage teams from contributing and explaining why open-source contribution creates competitive advantages for IoT development companies.

Presentation Highlights

• Croxel’s Zephyr Journey: Timeline from first adoption in 2019 to becoming TSC Community Representatives with 100+ contributions
• Breaking Down Barriers: Clarifying five common misconceptions that prevent teams from contributing to open-source projects
• Strategic Benefits: Seven compelling reasons why contributing to Zephyr makes business sense for development teams
• Practical Getting Started Guide: Step-by-step approach to begin contributing effectively to the Zephyr project
• Community Engagement: How participating in working groups and Discord channels accelerates development

Key Misconceptions Addressed

Misconception 1: Contributing is “giving away” code

• Reality: Open-sourcing code means more people help test, fix, and maintain it. Your sensor driver isn’t your secret sauce.

Misconception 2: Contributions are rarely accepted

• Reality: The project encourages contributors to succeed. Reviewers are guides, not gatekeepers.

Misconception 3: Contributions take months to merge

• Reality: Small contributions merge quickly. Larger changes depend on iteration cycles, but the process is transparent.

Misconception 4: Being a regular contributor is “a full-time job”

• Reality: Contributing whenever there’s extra bandwidth is perfectly acceptable. Not just code—testing, reviewing, and filing bugs all count.

Misconception 5: It’s difficult to know where to start

• Reality: Plenty of open issues exist, and maintainers are reachable on Discord for guidance.

Why Croxel Contributes to Zephyr

1. Project Dependency: Multiple Croxel projects depend on Zephyr as their foundation
2. Future-Focused Strategy: Belief that Zephyr is the way forward for building most embedded IoT applications
3. Community Value: Having expertise to give back to the community that enables our work
4. Competitive Advantage: Staying informed about new features before they’re widely adopted
5. Shaping the Future: Active participation in steering Zephyr’s direction
6. Efficiency: Making upstream better rather than rolling custom solutions repeatedly
7. Regulatory Awareness: Staying current with upcoming regulations and security standards

Getting Started with Contributions

1. Read the contribution guidelines documentation
2. Start small—look for open issues you can tackle
3. Contribute in areas where you have domain expertise
4. Ask maintainers “How can I help contributing in X area?” via Discord
5. Participate in relevant working groups (Bluetooth, Sensors, etc.)
6. Study past similar contributions in your area of interest
7. Request feedback early on major contributions and be willing to pivot

About the Speaker

Carlos Mejia is Croxel’s Director of Strategic Planning, leading strategic initiatives and account management efforts. Carlos brings a unique perspective on how open-source contribution aligns with business strategy and competitive positioning. His role involves developing value propositions that balance technical excellence with strategic business objectives, making him well-positioned to discuss the business case for contributing to Zephyr RTOS.

Event Details

• Event: Zephyr Meetup
• Location: Anaheim, California
• Conference: Embedded World North America 2025
• Date: November 5, 2025

Resources

• Download Presentation Slides (PDF)
• Zephyr Contribution Guidelines
• Zephyr Project Discord
• Zephyr GitHub Repository