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Twice a year, we block our calendars, say goodbye to the familiar lag of Google Meet, and trade our home offices for the buzz of in-person conversations, shared meals, and the kind of spontaneous laughter you just can't schedule. These retreats are more than just a change of scenery and pace - they are how we stay connected. Through moments that spark important conversations, ideation over gentle rain and warm kebabs, or much needed pauses during late-night board games, we reconnect not just as coworkers, but collaborators united by a shared vision. 

In alignment with the fresh energy that spring brings, we experienced our own season (buh-dum-tss) of growth. Since our last retreat in Zurich, Switzerland, the Zitadel team  has nearly doubled , welcoming a vibrant mix of fresh faces across Sales, Support, Data Engineering, Marketing, and other functions  - expanding the talented team that drives us forward. 

Nestled between a lake and mountains in Switzerland, Thun gave us the perfect backdrop for this retreat: misty weather, glistening water, and just the perfect amount of old-town charm to settle in, slow down, and welcome our newest members. 
## Arrivals
![image title](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/e55f3b611eb4a375f96472f9cd5ff5066fe13a74-4032x3024.jpg)

As the team found their way to the beautiful city of Thun through the surrounding snow capped mountain range, much of the crew settled in from 20+ hours of travel adventure having traversed a wide variety of trains and airports. The laughter and camaraderie filled the air of the hotel lobby as the “long timers” welcomed “newbies” to the Zitadel crew. 

White table cloths and delicious local cuisine lined the restaurant tables as discussions unfolded from the team around what they hoped to get out of the offsite and excitement on topic discussions ahead that were sure to make a positive impact ahead. Smiles filled the room as the vision alignment connected effortlessly across the room and secured the fact that this was going to be a productive trip!
## Activities and Exploration 
![image title](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/504b9a1fa31d273a2c00aad55c7e19fbbd287bc2-4032x2268.jpg)

Over the next several days, the team participated in planned and ad hoc discussions on topics including how to deliver value through our content strategy, tooling deep dives, empowering our developer community, and elevating our user onboarding experience.

Key takeaways are:
* **Enhancing Onboarding experience**: With the recent additions of the initial account setup checklist for new account creations, it is important to continue improving onboarding with Zitadel!
* **Elevating Zitadel’s Content**: Our community's feedback on which content delivers the most practical value drives our commitment to creating content that matters. We are strengthening our blog articles and documentation by prioritizing high-impact topics such initial setup, feature use cases, and competitor platform migrations to address the real-world challenges technical teams face in their IAM implementations.
* **Internal Tools and Team Efficiency**: With team expansion in mind, discussions centered on how strategic use of tools like GitHub and Asana can proactively address communication challenges that emerge at scale. The focus was on implementing robust processes and workflows now that will reduce communication friction and maintain team efficiency as headcount increases.   
![image title](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/8cd38eb26f4fcfd27ac0719fa327b03027bc5e67-3024x4032.jpg)
When we stepped away from the meeting room we had a chance to bond as a team at a few different special locations. The St. Beatus Höhlen  cave tour showcased a stunning cave’s inner workings that is millions of years old. The Rubigencenter offered fun and games for some team competitions. Finally the walk through the Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht) set the stage for the perfect backdrop for an updated team photo as Zitadel nears 25 employees from access the globe. 
![image title](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/137220f4f5f4201ef363ac15afc982dc7529f6b2-2048x1365.jpg)
## Wrapping Up 
Every retreat leaves us more connected, aligned, and certainly more inspired! We returned home energized (after recovering from the jet-lag, of course!), full of fresh ideas, shared memories, and the kind of momentum that only comes from in-person connection. We are not only committed to building a great product, but a company we are proud to be part of - and this retreat reinforced just how far we've come, and how much possibility lies ahead as we keep growing together.

💜 **Here are quotes from some of our newest team members about their retreat experience:** 

![image_title](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/aff121838a620b1d4bbab21dcf79a4876d1cd831-4032x3024.jpg)
“What an amazing week! I feel truly privileged to have finally met my teammates in person and to experience the beauty of Switzerland together—it was one of the best bonding experiences I’ve had. I had meaningful conversations, lots of fun, and walked away feeling truly part of something great.” 
- **Matías Racedo, Sales Engineer** 

![image title](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/505bdcbc55ccf35b76577b6ccad59080c1fbbcb3-3072x4080.jpg)

“The Zitadel team retreat in Thun was an amazing experience, both professionally and personally. I really enjoyed getting to know the team — all the insightful and fun conversations had a very positive impact on me. Having joined the company less than two months ago, it felt great to meet everyone and see firsthand the culture that drives the team. It's inspiring to be surrounded by so many smart people. I’m genuinely excited to start contributing and help take Zitadel to new heights!”
- **Federico Coppede, Sales Engineer**

![image title](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/49df071b34177410f79c4cc2f66466bc1bdffa47-4032x2268.jpg)
"The retreat in Thun is something that I'll remember for the rest of my life. As a new joiner, being with a new team in a foreign place, I'll admit I may have been a tad nervous. But I quickly realized that this was all for not. Though I met many people for the first time, it felt like I was talking to old friends that I've known for years and every day I got to experience different personalities and different conversations. I feel very fortunate to be working with such an intelligent, talented group of genuinely good people. I learned a lot from the workshops and it didn't hurt that we were surrounded by crystal clear waters and beautiful mountains. I got back feeling recharged and I'm chomping at the bit to work with this team to take Zitadel to new heights! 5 stars-would highly recommend :)"
- **Joshua Chae,  Account Executive**

![image title](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/ac77971915306fbc54296f2fe68001da9f655e42-4032x2268.jpg)
“The team retreat in Thun has been a fantastic event on so many levels. I had the chance to meet the team for the first time and connect with everyone. It was my first time seriously visiting Switzerland, despite not living that far from it. It was such a great discovery, such a beautiful place with its mountains and lakes. The scheduled workshops we had were also very insightful and they helped me to know the company better, how it operates in the OSS world and its objectives for the future. It has also been a moment for rediscovering Magic The Gathering, one of my hobbies, with my coworkers: the draft game we had was amazing and it was so exciting to teach others how to play!”
- **Marco Ardizzone, Backend Engineer**

![image title](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/14c82bc8eb8ef2bbade1157aaf99fc12d3484bc3-3072x4080.jpg)
“Joining a remote team can be a puzzle, but this retreat instantly clicked everything into place. It was wonderful to finally put faces to names and feel like I'm part of a genuinely fun and supportive family right from the start.”
- **Mridang Agarwalla, Product Engineer (SDKs)**

Discover how the recent annual company retreat in Thun, Switzerland set the backdrop for Zitadel’s 2025 second half priorities and strategies.

Mountains, Milestones, and Magic - Company Retreat V5

Curious who helps drive Zitadel’s product roadmap from theory to reality? I recently sat down with  Fabienne Bühler, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer (CPO) at Zitadel, to discuss her strategy to build an impactful open-source identity and access management (IAM) platform with Zitadel.

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We also transcribed the conversation if you prefer to read through a quick summary instead.

### Getting to know Fabienne
Fabienne—Fabi to the team—brings a solid software engineering background that proved invaluable when co-founding Zitadel. As the company grew, she shifted into product management and now serves as Chief Product Officer (CPO). In this role, Fabi connects the dots between critical product paths, keeping both the team and our customers front and center. When she is not at her desk, you will find her hiking through the Swiss mountains or relaxing by the lake—making the most of Switzerland's natural playground.

### Early Days: The Founding Story of Zitadel
In 2019, Fabi joined forces with Florian Forster, Maximilian Panne, Stefan Benz, Silvan Reusser, Elio Bischof, Livio Armstutz, and Max Peintner to launch Zitadel. The spark? While building an identity solution for a Swiss public sector company, they spotted a gap in the market for a robust open source IAM solution. They set out to create something different—a platform that nailed self-hosting, multi-tenancy, and flexibility. And Zitadel was born.

**Fun fact**: Before there was  a proper office, the team turned coffee shops into their headquarters. They even commandeered a local bar during daylight hours—wrapping up their coding sessions just before the evening crowd rolled in!

### The Daily CPO Routine at Zitadel
Fabi shares that the daily rhythm as CPO at a fast-growing startup like Zitadel varies and she often needs to strike a balance between product delivery and product discovery.  She is constantly in the mix — jumping between Discord conversations, GitHub discussions, and sales calls to understand how customers are putting Zitadel to work in the wild. 

Fabi enables the product ecosystem by connecting the stakeholders across our growing organization and community, making sure everyone is in the loop and the right teams tackle the right challenges. This hands-on approach shapes how we build our product roadmap—always grounded in what users actually need.

### The Reality Check: What IAM Implementation Actually Looks Like 
When talking about IAM implementation pitfalls, Fabi does not mince words: identity management looks deceptively simple until it isn’t.  You can start with the basic usernames and passwords, but as your business grows, complexity snowballs fast. 

She recommends scoping your organization’s requirements, keeping both long and short term for your identity needs. Then evaluate if you want to build and maintain all the identity infrastructure yourself?  Building an IAM platform is one challenge, but keeping it running smoothly is an entirely different challenge. This is where partnering with a team like Zitadel is pragmatic.  We meet wherever you are in your journey—whether you are a small team looking for cloud solutions or an enterprise that needs data ownership and self-hosting.

### Zitadel’s Unique Market Advantage
Fabi excitedly shares that Zitadel offers many advantages to businesses looking to implement or migrate their identity infrastructure: 
* **Multi-tenancy that actually works**: We built multi-tenancy into Zitadel’s DNA from day one—not as an afterthought or a hacky add-on you will find in some of the alternatives in the market today.  If you are juggling complex org structures, you need an IAM solution that was designed for it, not patched together. 
* **Build whatever you need**: Out of the box, Zitadel handles your standard authentication needs.  And this is when it gets more exciting—webhooks, actions, APIs, and pre-built connectors enable you to tackle any edge cases to meet your business needs. No matter the complexing of your use case, the Zitadel team and the platform has you covered.
* **Deploy it your way**: Whether you want the simplicity of our cloud offering (zero maintenance headaches) or need self-hosting for data residency requirements, our Zitadel platform supports it.  Fabi highlights how you own your identity data either way—without burning resources to maintain a custom-built system. 

### Choosing the Right Feature for the Product Roadmap
Fabi articulates that building a roadmap is not just about picking features—it is about balance.  She breaks it down: “We listen to our community members, enterprise customers, and open source contributors, and share that feedback publicly.  Stemming from our roots in open source, transparency is critical for us.”

Then comes the harder aspect of aligning the feedback with features.  Every decision needs to align with Zitadel’s vision while delivering real value to our entire ecosystem.  It is a constant balancing act and that openness keeps us honest.

### Zitadel’s 2025 Product Roadmap
Fabi shares her excitement for 2025—it is all about making developers’ lives easier!  Here’s what’s cooking:
* **Better APIs everywhere**: We are overhauling our APIs from the ground up.  Better integrations, clearer documentation, and smoother developer experience to ensure your API calls are frictionless.  
* **Developer-friendly SDKs**: Starting with Python, we are building SDKs that streamline your integrations. 
* **Smoother Onboarding**: No more wrestling with configs for hours. We are rebuilding onboarding so you can go from zero to authenticated in minutes. 
* **Enterprise-readiness**
	* **Performance, at scale**: Performance improvements built to support organizations managing millions of users.
	* **Groups management**: Groups, one of your most requested features, is coming soon. This enables you to manage user groups at scale.
	* **Actionable Analytics**: Monitor logins, daily active users (DAUs), monthly active users (MAUs), and identify potential issues before they escalate. 
	* **AI-powered threat detection**: This leverages anonymized data to proactively identify security risks. 

### Quarterly Release Schedule for Zitadel
We have made a strategic shift to a quarterly release cycle, and here’s why it matters: our customers get predictable updates and a clearer path to staying current. Plus, it helps us tackle a real problem—too many legacy versions of Zitadel floating around in production.

For our team, this gives  more time to prepare for releases and limit the possibility of a chaotic product roadmap. As Fabi points out, we can now share  release candidates with the community a full month before releasing the stable release. This means better testing, clearer documentation, and a smoother plan for deprecating outdated features.

The bottom line is that you get more reliable updates and we deliver higher quality releases.

### Evolution of Zitadel’s Licensing Model
Zitadel launched under Apache 2.0 license—a great choice for building community and getting our code into developers’ hands.  But as Fabi explains, our commitment to open source has not wavered; it has actually grown stronger.  The move to AGPL 3.0 was about protecting what we have all built together.  This license ensures that the years of work from our core team and community contributions stay open and benefit everyone. 

What does this mean in practice?  If you are building with Zitadel, you are contributing back—either through code or through financial support.  This creates a sustainable model that keeps the project healthy and the community thriving.

*Note: Learn more about the AGPL 3.0 licensing change in [this blog post](https://zitadel.com/blog/zitadel-v3-announcement).* 

### Contributing to the Zitadel Ecosystem
Fabi highlights  that there are many ways one can contribute to the Zitadel community, regardless of your technical background .  Our [GitHub issues](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues) are a goldmine for contributors—you will find everything from documentation updates, typo fixes to SDK examples, and bug squashing.  Not a coder?  Join our [Discord community](http://zitadel.com/chat) and help someone troubleshoot their setup or share product feedback that makes a real difference. 

We are also constantly looking for beta testers through our community newsletter. Your hands-on feedback helps us catch issues and refine features before they hit production.  Sometimes the best contribution is telling others about your experience with Zitadel. 

Fabi still remembers the team's excitement when that first pull request landed. Watching the community help each other and grow together remains one of the most rewarding parts of building Zitadel. Every contribution—big or small—keeps that spirit alive.

### Envisioning the Future at Zitadel
Fabi outlines Zitadel’s vision in three strategic phases: 
1. **Build the foundation right**: We are creating a comprehensive platform that unifies authentication and authorization.  Seamless integration with your existing business tools is critical—we know switching costs are real, and integration complexity impedes adoption. 
2. **Enable powerful customization**: Our APIs and Actions framework give you the flexibility to adapt Zitadel to your specific workflows. We are exploring a community marketplace for Action templates, where teams can share proven solutions for common scenarios. It’s about empowering your organization to leverage the platform fully. 
3. **Advance security intelligently**: By training models on anonymized data, we can proactively identify threats and neutralize bot attacks. The collective intelligence approach means every Zitadel user contributes to and benefits from stronger security across the platform.

Our immediate priorities remain clear: enhanced threat detection, comprehensive analytics, group management, and expanded  Actions capabilities.  We are also investigating Fine Grain Authorization (FGA) in response to  customer feedback—because our roadmap reflects real-world requirements, not theoretical features.    

### “If Not Tech…”: Alternative Career Paths
What would Fabi be up to in a parallel universe without keyboards and code? As it turns out, she would still be in the business of helping folks—just with different tools in her toolkit. Picture Fabi as a Nutrition Advisor, swapping API documentation for meal plans, or perhaps as a Psychologist, debugging minds instead of software.

No matter which universe we peek into, there's Fabi—putting people first, solving problems, and probably still organizing everything into neat little systems. Some things are simply written in the stars! ✨


Zitadel’s CPO Fabienne Bühler shares the company’s product strategy and working with customers to drive the product roadmap forward.

The HOW behind Zitadel with Fabienne Bühler, Co-Founder & CPO

# Meet Gigi the Giraffe: The Towering Personality Behind Zitadel!
Ever spotted that long-necked charmer popping up throughout Zitadel’s [documentation](https://zitadel.com/docs)?  Wonder no more.  Today, we are diving into the delightful story of Gigi the Giraffe, Zitadel’s head-above-the-rest mascot, with none other than Florian Forster, Zitadel’s CEO and Co-Founder.

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**Prefer skimming to streaming?** We got you covered!  Here is the transcribed version of the conversation for your reading pleasure.

### The Tall Tale of Gigi’s Beginnings
As it turns out, Gigi wasn’t born with mascot status!  Florian revealed that before Zitadel existed, the co-founders worked at another organization where they developed a rather elevated reward system—giraffe stickers for standout contributions!  Talk about reaching new heights of recognition!

The giraffe love reached spectacular proportions when Florian received a human-sized giraffe plushie for his birthday.  And just like that, Gigi was born!  The team has been neck-deep in giraffe appreciation ever since.  While Gigi typically lounges in Florian’s home office, our spotted friend is currently safely packed away for Florian’s move to the US—first-class accommodations, we presume!

### Standing Tall in Company Culture
With that famously long neck, Gigi naturally has quite the perspective on Zitadel’s future (someone’s always looking ahead!).  Florian shared how Gigi’s playful spirit reflects the team’s culture—proving that even serious security solutions can have a splash of fun. 

**Ready to join the herd?** Gallop over to our [Discord community](https://zitadel.com/chat) today and enjoy our collection of Gigi-themed emojis!  Because who says identity management cannot be both secure AND adorable? 



Find out more about Zitadel’s mascot, Gigi, the Giraffe, and where he came from!

Meet Gigi, Zitadel’s Mascot

Ever wonder who’s at the helm of your favorite open source Identity platform, Zitadel? I recently spent time talking with Florian Forster, CEO and recorded his insights on [Zitadel's YouTube channel](https://youtu.be/m-Tg-KRqYlA).

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Looking for a quick read instead? We also transcribed the conversation.
### Getting to know Florian 
Florian shares with us his technical background that has helped drive his entrepreneurial spirit as he operates as Zitadel’s CEO. His vision for Zitadel’s positive impact on organizations helps drive the future course of the company.

### Early Days: The Founding Story of Zitadel
Florian teamed up with Fabienne Buhler, Maximilian Panne, Stefan Benz, Silvan Reusser, Elio Bischof, Livio Armstutz, Max Peintner, and founded Zitadel in 2019. The idea came to fruition when this group was working at a public sector company in Switzerland. Identifying the market gap for a developer-focused identity solution that supports both self-hosting and multi-tenancy, they set out to create and deliver this tool to the community.

### Day in the life of the Zitadel CEO
Florian chuckles that his daily rhythm varies based on which global office he is working from. In Switzerland, his day unfolds at a measured pace, whereas starting in San Francisco means an immediate deluge of over 100 notifications. Despite his systematic approach to triage, priorities, and essential meetings, Florian always carves out time to engage with the Zitadel community and participate in GitHub discussions. He particularly values his diverse interactions with team members, customers, and the broader developer ecosystem. As a dedicated family man, Florian ensures that regardless of his professional commitments, he reserves quality time with his wife and young children before the day concludes.

### Key Identity Management Challenges That Organizations Should Navigate
Florian challenges the tendency to either oversimplify or overcomplicate identity management. Often dismissed as a simple login, he emphasizes how identity fundamentally shapes your entire software security posture. The true challenge lies in accurately assessing risks and implementing appropriate security measures that protect users without creating friction.. Custom-built or homegrown solutions often fall short — developing robust identity systems requires specialized expertise, not a quick implementation.  Engaging with industry experts and specialists provides invaluable peace of mind and enhances your organization’s security outcomes.

### Zitadel’s Market Advantage
Zitadel distinguishes itself with a developer-centric approach that addresses gaps left by the legacy identity solutions.  The platform offers exceptional flexibility, allowing it to adapt to your infrastructure requirements. This pairs well with Zitadel's modern self-hosting solution, which has seen an acceleration in adoption and growth over the recent years.

### Multi-tenancy in Practice
Florian shares how most systems across the internet are inherently multi-tenant. He illustrates this with an e-commerce example where customers and employees require  different roles and permissions.  This complexity, Florian notes, rapidly intensifies as organizations grow. When multi-tenancy is built into  the system’s foundational architecture, it provides sustainable scalability benefits  This intentional design allows administrators to implement distinct security policies — such as customized two-factor authentication requirements — for different groups across tenants.

### How Zitadel Enables Data Residency
Florian highlights two key dimensions of Zitadel’s approach to data residency:
The first addresses geographic hosting requirements through the strategic regional deployments of Zitadel Cloud across the United States, Australia, European Union, and Switzerland, allowing customers to meet their compliance needs.
The second offers complete flexibility through Zitadel’s self-hosting option, giving organizations complete control over database location, instance deployment, and access management according to their requirements.
 
### The Shift to Self-Hosting Solutions
Florian notes that historical data breaches from third-party suppliers have created lasting concern among organizations. A significant segment of customers now prioritizes maintaining complete control over their data, viewing access management as a critical defensive strategy. He also highlights that technical teams have regained confidence in managing essential workloads internally, largely due to operational enablement from technologies like Kubernetes. 

### Evolution of Zitadel’s Licensing Model
Zitadel initially launched under the Apache 2.0 license, which effectively supported its distribution and helped build the community. Florian explains that over the past 18 months, while usage increased significantly, there wasn’t a proportional reciprocity with meaningful contributions back to the community, whether in the form of code contributions or financial support.  The transition to the AGPL 3.0 license has enabled Zitadel to safeguard the substantial  investment made by the core team and the broader community. This strategic licensing shirt ensures Zitadel can maintain its fundamental commitment to open source principles.

*Note: Learn more about the AGPL 3.0 licensing change in [this blog post](https://zitadel.com/blog/zitadel-v3-announcement)*.

### Zitadel’s Strategic Vision for 2025 & Beyond
While Florian proudly acknowledges Zitadel’s exceptional login experience, he emphasizes that the company’s  mission extends far beyond authentication. 

He identifies three strategic pillars driving Zitadel’s future:
**1. Identity Transactions:** The authentication component of user login workflows represents Zitadel's foundational strength.  With over 80% market coverage in this area, Florian is confident in the substantial value this functionality delivers to organizations.
**2. Integrations and Workflows:** This growing focus area recognizes that while customers can already build plugins for third-party applications, Zitadel aims to significantly enhance this capability.  By expanding APIs and improving extensibility, Zitadel will provide developers with even greater flexibility and powerful incentives for adoption.
**3. Analytics and Intelligence:** This pillar, positioned to have the most transformative long-term impact, comprises three critical components:
	* Audit and Forensics Reporting: Enabling customers to comprehensively track and analyze user activities
	* Aggregation Reporting: Providing administrators with deeper insights into identity infrastructure performance through metrics on user behaviors, login failures, and other usage patterns
	* Threat Detection and Mitigation: Empowering security teams with advanced tools to better understand and rapidly respond to potential attacks

### Zitadel Establishes American Presence
Florian recounts that while Zitadel was born and initially flourished in Switzerland, maintaining strong Swiss heritage, the company's expanding footprint in the North American market naturally led to establishing a US headquarters. This strategic expansion positions Zitadel to better serve its growing American and global customer base and address its evolving recruitment requirements.

### “If Not Tech…”: Alternative Career Paths
Florian reveals that if he was not securing identity in the Tech industry, there were several alternative career paths he would have pursued. 

Initially, becoming a helicopter pilot captured his imagination, though he eventually dismissed this path, seeking to make a more substantial impact.

Following his military service, Florian considered joining the close protection field as a security operative.  However, after careful consideration, he determined the inherent risks didn’t align with his personal values and life goals.

Surprisingly, citrus farming ultimately emerged as his most compelling alternative career path. Florian believes that through data-driven approaches and thoughtful agricultural practices, the field offers fascinating opportunities for innovation.

*While the world might have gained an innovative orange juice producer, the Zitadel team remains grateful to have Florian’s leadership in his current role 😁.
*


Zitadel’s CEO Florian Forster shares the company’s values and vision for 2025 and some of the common challenges when approaching IAM. 

“The WHY behind Zitadel” with Florian Forster, Co-Founder & CEO

Last week marked an incredible milestone for our team and community:
* We announced [Zitadel Version 3](https://zitadel.com/blog/zitadel-v3-announcement) 
* 🎉⭐️Zitadel crossed  10,000 stars on GitHub! 🎉⭐️ 

Achieving 10,000 stars on GitHub is more than just a number to us—it represents the trust, support, and enthusiasm of thousands of developers who believe in our vision for a modern identity platform.

Zitadel is the leading provider of cloud-native identity infrastructure solutions.  Its platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools for multi-tenant, authentication, authorization, and user management.  Designed for scalability, flexibility, and security, Zitadel empowers organizations to protect their cloud infrastructure and applications across the globe. 
### Our Journey to the first 10,000 stars
When we first launched Zitadel as an open-source project, we already embarked on a clear mission: to create a secure, scalable, and developer-friendly identity and access management platform that would simplify authentication and identity management for modern applications especially in multi-tenant scenarios. What began as a small team's passion project has blossomed into a thriving ecosystem of contributors, users, and advocates.
Our journey hasn't always been straightforward. From our initial commit to reaching our first 100 stars took a lot of dedication and persistence and we fully celebrated our first 1,000 stars as a major achievement, never imagining we'd be here today, announcing this new milestone that puts us among the top open-source identity projects globally.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/2acac30edb656e48d5734613f9a992662f9750ad-3628x940.png)

### Community Spotlight
None of this would have been possible without our incredible community. From the developer who fixed that critical bug at 2 AM to the companies that have built their entire identity infrastructure on Zitadel, every contribution has mattered for our ongoing success.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/4b0ce733f8e6d6f37ad78c9e772ce6e27afe9ecb-2116x1144.png)

-----

*“Zitadel powers our lab initiative by enabling rapid, secure prototyping with its modern, open source identity management platform. Its multi-tenant design and expansive ecosystem make it the ideal partner for testing our next-generation SaaS solutions, positioning itself as a dynamic alternative to traditional giants like Azure Active Directory. Backed by an engaged community and a forward-thinking team, Zitadel not only safeguards our ideas but also accelerates innovation across the board, ensuring that security remains our top priority. There is just no excuses to not using it :-)”
Florent Cenedese, Principal Solution Architect*

*“Zitadel’s domain expertise drives effortless scaling for startups and enterprises. Its event-driven, event-sourced architecture delivers robust scalability, extensibility, reliability, and thorough auditability—supported by a sustainable business model for the free and open source community”
Yordis Prieto, Principal Software Engineer*

-----

### Technical Evolution
Our codebase and architecture has evolved significantly since our initial release.  Our platform has transformed into a highly scalable, cloud-native platform that can handle millions of authentication requests while maintaining sub-100ms response times and we see this proven in customer hosting multiple millions of tenants in Zitadel.

Some of the most impactful technical achievements:
* Transitioning to resources based APIs for easier integration
* Implementing event sourcing as the basis for robust audit trails and event driven integrations with actions
* Updating actions into an extensibility framework that allows customer full control over each http request and event 
* Expanding our protocol support beyond OIDC and OAuth2 to include SAML, WebAuthn, SCIM and LDAP
* Building a comprehensive set of API that developers can even use to build their own login ui

We made all these improvements while maintaining our commitment to security—undergoing regular penetration testing and security audits to ensure we're providing a solution our users can trust with their most sensitive data.
### Lessons Learned
Building an open-source project at this scale has taught us valuable lessons:
* **Documentation matters deeply.** Some of our most appreciated contributions haven't been code but clear, thorough documentation that makes complex identity concepts accessible.
* **Community feedback is gold.** Our best features often came from community suggestions, and our most significant improvements stemmed from user feedback.
* **Balancing innovation with stability is an art.** We've learned to maintain a stable core while allowing for experimentation in new features.
* **Security is never "done."** We've built security into every aspect of our development process, from design to deployment.
* **Open source is about people, not just code.** Building relationships with our contributors and users has been as important as building the product itself.
### Looking Forward
Reaching this milestone matters beyond the satisfaction of seeing a big number on GitHub.  A developer-first, open-source identity solution is the future; it enables enterprises with a choice.  A choice between self-hosted or cloud solution, a choice between open source and commercial offering, and a choice between building and managing a custom-build platform vs. buying one that offers flexibility and control without the burden of engineering efforts.

In the identity space, this achievement puts Zitadel in the top tier of open-source projects—a significant accomplishment for a specialized security tool in a field dominated by much broader infrastructure projects.

While we're taking a moment to celebrate, we're even more excited about what's next in 2025:
* **Performance Optimization:** Comprehensive platform-wide performance enhancements that focus on core authentication service response times, API endpoint optimization across new and existing services, enhanced resource management efficiency, and improved system scalability. 
* **TypeScript Login with OIDC:** A new, highly customizable login interface for our customers, built in with [TypeScript and OpenID Connect](https://zitadel.com/blog/typescript-login) support. Self-hosting customers will soon be able to use the hosted login option with OIDC.
* **User Schema Management:** This feature offers [advanced user profile customization](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/8140) enabling granular control over field management permissions between users and administrators. 
* **Configurable Caching System:** Beta release of [flexible caching](https://zitadel.com/docs/self-hosting/manage/cache) infrastructure supporting Redis integration for improved object lookup performance.  
* **SCIM Integration:** This is [the implementation](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/8140) of System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) protocol for automated user provisioning, synchronization, and lifecycle management across external systems. 
* **Actions Framework v2:** This feature offers [enhanced extensibility framework](https://github.com/orgs/zitadel/projects/6/views/1?pane=issue&itemId=50259306&issue=zitadel%7Czitadel%7C7235) supporting custom triggers and executions through API endpoints for advanced workflow customization. 
* **User Group Authorization:** The implementation of [user group management](https://github.com/orgs/zitadel/projects/6/views/1?pane=issue&itemId=48898543&issue=zitadel%7Czitadel%7C5822) capabilities enable efficient authorization management at scale, expanding beyond individual user permissions.

Our vision remains consistent: to be the most developer-friendly, secure identity platform that grows with your needs from side project to scale-up.
### Thank You!
This milestone belongs to everyone who has been part of the Zitadel journey:
* Our 54 code contributors who have submitted everything from typo fixes to major feature implementations
* The companies who have sponsored development or provided resources
* The thousands of developers who have chosen Zitadel for their projects
* The investors who continue to support Zitadel’s growth and success 
* Everyone who has reported bugs, suggested improvements, or simply spread the word

### Join Us As We Build the Future of Identity
If you are not yet part of the Zitadel community, there has never been a better time to join:
* [Star us](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel) on GitHub (if you haven't already!)
* Check out our [documentation](https://docs.zitadel.com/) to get started
* Join our [Discord community](https://zitadel.com/chat) to connect with other users and our team
* [Contribute](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) to the codebase—we welcome contributions of all sizes
* Join our [upcoming AMA](https://discord.gg/jRA3nhv8?event=1344022255759528027) with our CEO, Florian Dorster, on Discord

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/494896893ec4af602036b3dae7b88f51050b0f05-800x320.png)

Whether you are building a personal project or enterprise-scale software, we are honored to help secure your applications and manage your users' identities.

Here's to the next 10,000 stars and beyond! 🚀

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/y3uu7rkl/production/ceb66bc9ab5d1dbc9bcc6b6183a73dcc2f16ae10-1200x627.png)




Zitadel Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform celebrates the milestone for the open source project reaching 10,000 github stars.

Thank you for 10,000 Stars!


As the snow falls outside here in Switzerland creating a winter wonderland, I am filled with pride looking at the past year’s milestones.  Zitadel has grown in such exciting ways — the features that have been deployed, the product roadmap, the collaboration with our vibrant developer community, partnering with customers from every walk of life, and last but not the least, getting incredible support from our investors.  Each person, team, GitHub comment to the pull requests, Discord discussion have shaped the path to where we stand today!  A heartfelt thank-you to everyone involved.   To say I am thrilled about our next growth phase in 2025 is an understatement! 
 
As we near the last few weeks of 2024, I want to take a minute to reflect and review some of the milestones that made this year one of our best yet!

Before I get to it, I wanted to share our upcoming Discord event on the Back-Channel Logout feature.  If you want to see how it can help you manage your user sessions throughout your identity infrastructure, [register and join us in Discord on December 11th](https://discord.gg/bnuAe2RX?event=1308899625041924127) where [Livio Spring](https://www.linkedin.com/in/liviospring/), Engineer and Co-founder, Zitadel, will give a live demo.

## Zitadel in 2024: Highlights 

- We are [proud to announce](/blog/zitadel-the-future-of-identity-infrastructure) our $9 Million Series A  round of funding in collaboration with Nexus Ventures and Floodgate to advance Cloud-Native Identity Infrastructure.

- We achieved our [ISO 27001 certification](/blog/zitadel-iso-27001-certified) further reinforcing our commitment to security through this internationally recognized standard that confirms our dedication to maintaining the highest levels of security for our customers' data. 

- Zitadel has grown to serve over 150 customers this year such as Klaviyo, Open Systems, Vector Solutions,  and Kaspar&!

- [Zitadel’s Discord Community](https://discord.gg/szfmzC2M) has grown by 93% in 2024 from 1,527 to 2,953 members

- [Zitadel’s Github Repository](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel) continues to make traction with a 57% increase to 9,100+ Github Stars and another 57% increase of individual contributors to 220+ collaborators across all the Zitadel repositories. 

- Continuing to be a remote-first team, we came together twice this year — in [Italy](/blog/team-retreat-bologna) and [Switzerland](/blog/team-retreat-zurich) — for team get-togethers and planning forward as we level up Zitadel’s future!

## Zitadel in 2024: Product

Looking over the past year we released key features that helped customers across the board in the way they manage their identity infrastructure. 

- **Performance Improvements:** We prioritized stability and scalability enhancements in 2024 to set a solid foundation for our Self-Hosted and Cloud customers.  With some of our customers deploying as many as 2.3 million tenants to manage their identity infrastructure, performance is key.  These enhancements include latency, [benchmark testing](/docs/apis/benchmarks), and reliability on services such as token endpoint and new generation APIs like the [improvedPerformance](/docs/apis/resources/feature_service_v2/feature-service-set-instance-features) field.

- **Easier Integrations:** This allows admins to set up an application in their [framework and programming language of choice](/docs/sdk-examples/introduction) quickly.  Zitadel simplifies the process for the admin’s deployment process of client applications by enabling the use of default settings!

- **Using external SAML IdPs:** This enables admins to level up using external identity providers by defining the preferred nameID format and configuring user mapping in Zitadel based on attributes received from the external IdP.  [Learn more](/docs/guides/integrate/identity-providers/mocksaml) about building using external SAML IdPs.

- **Setting up Email Providers:** This was accelerated greatly thanks to our open source community.  This feature makes it easier to configure email delivery even faster within Zitadel through SMTP provider templates.  [These templates](/docs/guides/manage/console/default-settings#smtp) offer pre-defined settings for popular email service providers (ESPs) like Amazon SES, Mailgun, Mailjet, Postmark, Sendgrid, and a Generic SMTP option.

- **Managing OpenID Connect Signing Web Keys:** This became much easier with Zitadel taking the lead to create keys without expiry for each instance.  Now users can create, rotate, and disable signing Keys via API at your discretion as [documented here](/docs/guides/integrate/login/oidc/webkeys).

- **Organizational Metadata:** This allows developers to use the org’s metadata in the [complement token flow](/docs/apis/actions/complement-token) in Actions as well as include a user’s organization metadata into tokens that can be read by receiving applications. 

- **New Password Expiry:** Policies came out in mid-2024 to aid organizations to require users to change their passwords on a routine basis. [This feature](/docs/guides/manage/console/default-settings#password-expiry) can be used quickly through the Console UI at both instance and organization levels. 

- **New Sample Apps:** We prioritized building out sample apps in [VueJS](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel-vue), [PHP](https://github.com/zitadel/example-symfony-oidc), and [Java](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel-java) in the beginning of 2024 to make getting started with authentication and authorization easier with these specific examples and guides.

- **Back-Channel Logout:** This is a feature that resides on the server-side and does not require the user agent to be involved. Through [back-channel logout’s](/docs/guides/integrate/login/oidc/logout#back-channel-logout) ability it has the user logged out from all clients in the event that the authenticated session gets terminated. 

- **Four New Translations added to the Zitadel platform** with **Hungarian**, **Indonesian**, **Swedish**, and the latest being **Korean** thanks to the recent addition from our community contributor [Kim JeongHyeon](https://github.com/KimTibber)!

- **New Translations added to Upcoming Typescript Login** to include **German**, **Spanish**, **Italian**, and **English**.  If you’re not seeing the language of your choice, please request or collaborate with us directly on our [GitHub](https://github.com/zitadel/typescript/tree/main/apps/login/locales).

## Zitadel in 2025: Vision

For 2025, we are focusing on three key areas to enhance the Dev and SecOps experience:

- **A Seamless Onboarding Journey:**  Our goal is to make your first integration with Zitadel as smooth as possible.  We are working on intuitive APIs, comprehensive examples and SDKs, flexible user management tailored to your use case, and streamlined deployment and maintenance processes.

- **Enterprise-Grade Performance and Scalability:** We are committed to making Zitadel a highly scalable and performant identity infrastructure.  This includes linear scalability to meet your growing needs, easy upgrades for business continuity, and efficient user management with group administration and standardized provisioning/deprovisioning capabilities.

- **Proactive System Insights:** We empower you with the tools to proactively monitor and manage your Zitadel environment.  This includes seamless integration with your SOC/SIEM systems, real time system health insights, and user analytics to identify potential issues before they impact your customers.

## Zitadel in 2025: Product 

As we look to the future, we’ve got a wide range of exciting new features on the horizon! 

- **Performance Improvements:** This remains a top priority for the team as we continue to strengthen Zitadel’s core authentication capabilities, the platform’s existing & new API endpoints, and resource management across the board. 

- **New Typescript Login including OIDC:** This allows admins to enhance their Zitadel instance with a ready-to-deploy login that is highly customizable.  [Read the GitHub Product Roadmap Epic here](https://github.com/orgs/zitadel/projects/6/views/1?pane=issue&itemId=50833557&issue=zitadel%7Ctypescript%7C46).

- **User Schemas:** This feature offers flexibility when managing user details from user- and admin- perspective by allowing to define the fields that are allowed to be managed by a user and the ones that are to be managed by admin.  Stay informed through our [GitHub Product Roadmap Epic](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/6433).

- **Configurable Cache Options:** This was the last beta feature of 2024 that enables speedy lookup of objects that are often needed by storing them in cache, like Redis.  [Take it for a spin](/docs/self-hosting/manage/cache) before it becomes generally available in 2025 and [share your feedback](https://discord.com/channels/927474939156643850/1309157792292012063/1309158011469692958).

- **SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management):** This is the standard for inbound user-provisioning so other systems can automatically provision and manage users within Zitadel.  This allows creation, update, and deletion of users based on user data changes in the external system and streamlines user management across systems ensuring consistent user states. To dig deeper into this feature, read the [GitHub Product Roadmap Epic here](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/8140).

- **Actions v2:**   This feature will allow you to extend Zitadel with custom executions and triggers through API endpoints as you look to make the most out of your Zitadel instance.  Check out the [GitHub Product Roadmap Epic](https://github.com/orgs/zitadel/projects/6/views/1?pane=issue&itemId=50259306&issue=zitadel%7Czitadel%7C7235) to find out more.

- **User Group Authorizations:** Through this feature Zitadel expands past the managing users individually and now offers groups to enable authorizations as a wider scale for user management. To follow along on this feature delivery in 2025, review the [GitHub Product Roadmap Epic](https://github.com/orgs/zitadel/projects/6/views/1?pane=issue&itemId=48898543&issue=zitadel%7Czitadel%7C5822).

## Community & Feedback Opportunities

As always, we appreciate and welcome your feedback.  It helps us shape our product roadmap and build a robust platform that caters to your needs: 

- If you are interested in a sneak peek at our User Schemas update, and would like to share your feedback, please email [Jim@Zitadel.com](mailto:Jim@Zitadel.com)

- Please share your feedback and experiences with our Community team by [scheduling some time here](https://calendar.app.google/UgTzLndLKKMk7BYp8)

- If you are using Zitadel today, please add yourself to the [Adopters](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/blob/main/ADOPTERS.md) list with a short description of your use case by opening a pull request and adding a section describing your usage of Zitadel.

- If you are interested in contributing to Zitadel, please review our [Contributing Guide](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) to collaborate with us.

Have a look at our great product enhancements of 2024 and what is ahead for 2025.

End Of Year Product Wrap Up 2024


As an open source organization with strong community roots, we want to ensure that the care, intention, and nurturing that we pour into our product is also reflected within our team. Back in May of 2023, we held our first retreat, taking initial steps towards becoming a fully remote, global company. Fast forward to November 2024, we’ve grown from a small unit to a team of almost 20 fully distributed professionals across the globe. Along the way, we’ve made meaningful strides towards curating a strong sense of belonging while cultivating our remote work culture. Our efforts really come to life at our biannual off-sites where we’re all able to reconnect in person. Off-sites are one of many ongoing cultural rituals that allow us to work on the four Cs:  Collaboration, communication, connection, and . . . carbs **(yes, seriously —  stay with me, more on this in a second)**. 
 
## Pre-Arrival

Three days before everyone was set to fly out, we found ourselves needing to make a 1000+ kilometer change to our plans (we originally planned to go to Valencia, Spain). With time against us, we had to quickly rebook flights, shift the location of our activities and accommodations — all of this in less than 1 week. With some team members up to 8000 km away, this last-minute change really tested our ability to be communicative and adaptable. (In hindsight, this felt like an almost impossible task but we did it!)

Despite this being a logistical nightmare & having tight timelines, we were really able to come together as a team and push this through to success on such short notice. Adding on to a whirlwind of a week, illnesses, personal emergencies, and hurdles popped up that threatened to fully derail our upcoming trip. What could have been the end of our plans gave us an opportunity to show how far we’ve come as a remote-first team. We were operating like a well-oiled machine—leadership quickly went to work preparing a compact action plan, while team members supported each other with rebooking flights and figuring out how to navigate locally. From the warm, sunny coastlines we planned to visit to the cool, cozy vibes of Zurich -  the chaos gave us the opportunity to not only show resilience through challenging circumstances but also our ability to adapt and thrive together. 
 
## Arrivals

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-01.jpg" width="100%" alt="Nine Zitadel staff members smiling and posing at a bar near the Zurich opera house, with drinks on the table." />
</figure>

With our travel toils behind us, we began our journey to Zurich. For those already stationed in Switzerland, getting to Zurich wasn’t too much of a hassle. For others, it meant 20+ hours of travel - an experience best summarized as "amazing, spectacular, 10/10, would do again". Can you hear the sarcasm? The excitement to meet our co-workers in person surpassed the jet lag & weariness with all of us finally uniting in the evening. With early arrivals already at the hotel and others still on the way, a smaller group of us met near the opera house, where the view of the water at sunset provided a stunning backdrop for some great photos. We all quickly caught up (and met some new teammates!) before continuing on a short walk to the jazzy, goat-themed Widder Bar where the rest of team Zitadel joined us.  

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-02.jpg" width="100%" alt="Table at Raclette Stube with wine glasses, a fondue pot, and plates of vegetables, meat, raclette, and potatoes." />
</figure>

Light banter, warm introductions, and plenty of jokes set the tone for our evening as we made our way to Raclette Stube. We all ate to our heart's content - with some of us experiencing raclette for the first time and others opting for the very classic fondue. After the night's festivities, most of us felt like we turned into a ball of cheese.

That first evening together melted away the strain of those last minute changes, leaving us recharged & ready to dive head first into the rest of a very promising retreat.
 
## Activities & Exploration

After we settled in, our retreat really started on day 2 with a series of workshops led by some of our incredible internal subject matter experts.
Our new product marketing manager, Jim, opened up our sessions with an engaging discussion around our documentation and how it is crucial to your (yes, you, dear reader) Zitadel experience. Following Jim, our head of sales, Jason, broke down the sales process for our engineering team - delving into our processes, how we map customer needs while giving us a quick overview of negotiation tactics, and relationship building.

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-03.jpg" width="100%" alt="Zitadel staff in a meeting room, attentively watching Jason, the head of sales, present his workshop." />
</figure>

Next, Silvan and Max came in with well crafted & informative workshops focused on engineering. Silvan, through a hilarious presentation, provided much needed insights into Zitadel’s performance and detailed next steps on how we plan to improve it. Max gave a detailed overview of the new Typescript login, its implementation, and how it fits into creating an exceptional user experience. Our workshop series ended with our CEO, Florian, breaking down venture capital and offering a clear picture of where we currently are as a company [(check out our latest funding announcement!)](https://zitadel.com/blog/zitadel-the-future-of-identity-infrastructure)

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-04.jpg" width="100%" alt="Group hiking with those at the front smiling at the camera, while others straggle behind, surrounded by lush greenery." />
</figure>

With our workshops wrapped up, we took a casual stroll through Zurich that included us raiding Migros and Coop (a Swiss rite of passage). We tested our limits with an “intense” hike (spoiler: some of us fumbled on the beginner trail and felt winded at the end of it). The stunning views, adorable cows, and fresh air made every step of that hike worth it.

In the days that followed, we explored Lucerne where some of us shopped for souvenirs, crossed Kapellbrücke (with Florian providing important historical context), and wrapped up that day with a breathtaking ride up Pilatus. Of course, more souvenirs were added to our suitcases by the end of that Lucerne day trip.

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-05.jpg" width="100%" alt="Group exiting the Lindt chocolate factory with the factory sign partially visible in the background." />
</figure>

We can't forget to mention one of the most delicious parts of our trip: our visit to the Lindt chocolate factory. We experienced (and ate) a key piece of Swiss history, with some of it ending up in our jackets & bags at the end of the day. 
 
## Wrapping Up

This was a trip filled with fresh energy, joy, collaboration, and a reinforced sense of belonging. We all had the chance to strengthen our existing relationships (and build new ones!) - From celebrating promotions, to learning through in-depth internal workshops, and getting a thorough workout in Zurich - This trip was a memorable experience that left us all inspired and more than excited to continue growing. 

💜 **Here are some staff quotes from the trip:**  

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-06.jpg" width="100%" alt="Jim and Stefan sitting in the hotel lobby playing Magic: The Gathering, with cards spread across the table and drinks nearby." />
</figure>

"Our team retreat in Zurich was fantastic! It was refreshing to connect with everyone on a personal level. My highlight was those late-night Magic the Gathering sessions with Jim and Stefan – it had been 10 years since I'd played, and the competitive spirit with plenty of laughs was the perfect way to unwind and bond! Beyond the fun, it was inspiring to see how strong our company culture has become. As a remote company, these connections are crucial, and it's clear that even with the team nearly doubling in size, newcomers feel welcomed and supported. That creates such a positive and productive environment, no matter where we're working from. I can't wait for our next retreat!"
-**Florian Forster, CEO**

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-07.jpg" width="100%" alt="Lindt chocolate factory sign prominently displayed on the factory's exterior." />
</figure>

“It was great to show everyone our beautiful country and where the whole story of Zitadel started. I always love to explore something unique for the place we visit, and the Home of Chocolate was just amazing. Even if it was waaaay too much chocolate. :) Getting to know everyone in person is always my favorite part of the team retreat, and I am sure this makes a big difference for our daily remote work.”
-**Fabienne Bühler, CPO**

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-08.jpg" width="100%" alt="Zitadel staff in a meeting room, attentively watching Jim, the product marketing manager, present his workshop." />
</figure>

“It was a lovely offsite that hit all the points you hope for out of a team coming together, from long term strategy discussions to rapport building amongst the crew. It’s exciting to have a strong alignment closing out 2024 and going into 2025!”
-**Jim Morrison, Product Marketing Manager**

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-09.jpg" width="100%" alt="Team walking through Lucerne, passing buildings with signs for 'Pilatus', 'Victorinox', and 'La Fenice Steakhouse'." />
</figure>

“The Zurich retreat was an extraordinary experience, one that will forever be etched in my memory. To gather with colleagues from across the globe, to see familiar faces, and meet new ones, was truly inspiring. The days were filled with insightful discussions, thought-provoking presentations, and collaborative problem-solving. Yet, the moments outside of the formal agenda also truly resonated with me. The casual conversations, the shared laughter, the late-night card games with Magic the Gathering– these were the moments that forged deeper bonds and strengthened our team. The opportunity to explore the beauty of Switzerland was an added bonus. Whether it was a leisurely stroll through the city or a breathtaking hike in the mountains, each excursion offered a chance to unwind, recharge, and appreciate the simple joys of life. I’m incredibly grateful for the experience and can’t wait to reconnect with my colleagues at the next retreat.”
-**Stefan Benz, Software Engineer**

<figure>
  <img src="/blog/2024-12-05-zur-team-retreat-10.jpg" width="100%" alt="Small group of Zitadel engineers casually chatting near picnic-style seats at an outdoor restaurant." />
</figure>

"I cherished the in-person conversations and unforgettable moments with these amazing people. The presentations, even though they were in the morning, were a valuable source of knowledge about others' work, making this retreat a truly unique experience."
-**Silvan Reusser, Software Engineer**


Discover how our fourth team retreat in Zurich turned last-minute challenges into opportunities for collaboration, connection, and cultural exploration.

Hopp Schwiiz - Company retreat V4


### Advancing the future of identity infrastructure to a cloud-native, multi-tenant, and developer-friendly platform.

Modern organizations have a complex landscape of interconnected systems, spanning hybrid and multi-cloud environments and serverless architectures. To succeed, businesses must constantly adapt their security and identity management strategies to improve developer productivity and user experience across multiple systems. This, however, presents significant challenges. Data ownership and security, the complexities of SSO and MFA, developer-friendly APIs and SDKs, and customization to specific use cases are major concerns that can hinder innovation, slow down time-to-market, and impact customer satisfaction."

### Announcing our Series A Funding Update

Through our collective experiences, we learned that the current solutions for Identity and Access Management and Identity Infrastructure fall short in many different areas. Driven by a shared vision to build a modern identity infrastructure platform, Fabienne, Max, and I, along with a talented group of engineers, founded Zitadel four years ago.

![zitadel raises 9 million series a](/blog/2024-11-20-zitadel-the-future-of-identity-infrastructure.png)

We're thrilled to announce today that [we've raised $9 million in Series A funding](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zitadel-raises-9-million-series-a-to-advance-cloud-native-identity-infrastructure-302311461.html) to further our mission of building a modern identity infrastructure platform. This investment, led by Nexus Ventures with continued participation from Floodgate, will enable us to accelerate development and bring Zitadel to even more organizations. We're incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our investors and partners, who share our passion for creating a secure and developer-friendly identity solution.

### What makes Zitadel a great Identity Platform

#### Architectural Innovation

Zitadel is built as a cloud-native infrastructure project that leverages modern technologies to ensure a platform that scales with customers' needs. What sets Zitadel apart is its **unique event-sourced architecture**, where every change in the system is captured as an immutable event. This not only provides a **complete audit log** but also allows customers to **subscribe to real-time changes** within their Zitadel. Built with the help of Go, NextJs, Angular, Postgres and Redis, Zitadel is designed to be highly scalable, resilient, and secure. Our multi-tenant architecture allows us to support customers of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises. And our API-first approach makes it easy to integrate Zitadel with your existing applications and workflows.

![Architectural Innovation](/blog/2024-11-20-zitadel-the-future-of-identity-infrastructure-overview.png)

#### Flexible Authentication and Login options

Passwordless authentication along with enterprise or social logins are quickly becoming the de facto standards in identity security. Zitadel supports these and provides a customizable log-in experience for businesses that would like to either embed their login workflow, passkeys, or build a completely custom login experience for their project.

#### Built for Multi-tenancy

Multi-tenancy is a fundamental capability of the Zitadel platform, engineered to effortlessly support millions of tenants. This allows customers to manage a vast number of organizations and policies simultaneously, with the flexibility to handle diverse scenarios – from B2B and B2C to complex mixed setups with both. Customers can seamlessly extend the scope of their applications by adding new organizations and granting projects to them, all within a single, unified Zitadel instance. This scalability ensures that Zitadel can grow with your business, no matter how large or complex your needs become.

![Built for Multi-tenancy](/blog/2024-11-20-zitadel-the-future-of-identity-infrastructure-multitenancy.png)

#### Engineered for Developers

Zitadel is built with developers in mind, adopting an API-first approach. This means that every feature and function is accessible through well-defined and documented APIs. We offer both gRPC and REST APIs, giving you the flexibility to choose the best fit for your needs. This allows for seamless integration with your existing tech stack, regardless of your preferred programming languages or frameworks. Our comprehensive SDKs further simplify development, reducing the learning curve and accelerating your time to market.

With Zitadel's API-first approach, you can:

- **Automate user management:** Programmatically create, update, and delete users.
- **Customize authentication flows:** Integrate with your own login UIs or implement passwordless authentication.
- **Manage roles and permissions:** Fine-tune access control for your applications.
- **Extend Zitadel's functionality:** Build custom integrations with other services.

#### Enabling frictionless Security Operations

The Zitadel Identity Platform aims to empower security operators with critical capabilities such as secure login policies, audit and access events, etc. We are excited to grow our platform to extend this so the SecOps teams will be able to derive actionable insights through data aggregation, enabling them to monitor compliance and security across user behaviors and application usage patterns. By streamlining complex processes, security operators can leverage advanced usage analytics and threat intelligence capabilities, allowing them to focus on strategic security initiatives.

#### Continued Commitment to Open Source

Open source is at the heart of Zitadel and we firmly believe in the benefits that open source has. Our commitment to open source fosters innovation, encourages collaboration, and ensures that our platform remains adaptable and extensible. We invite everybody to join our thriving community, contribute to the project, and help shape the future of identity infrastructure.

<img src="/blog/2024-11-20-zitadel-the-future-of-identity-infrastructure-numbers.png" alt="Zitadel By The Numbers" />

### What’s Next

We are eager to set forth on the next part of our journey at Zitadel with our community. Check out our [documentation](https://zitadel.com/docs) or join us on [Discord](https://zitadel.com/chat). You can also stay informed of our updates by following us on your preferred social channel \- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/zitadel/), [Twitter](https://x.com/zitadel), or [Bluesky](http://@zitadel.bsky.social).

Check out our [documentation](https://zitadel.com/docs)

Join us on [Discord](https://zitadel.com/chat), Follow us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/zitadel/), [Twitter](https://x.com/zitadel), or [Bluesky](http://@zitadel.bsky.social)


Zitadel raises $9 million in Series A to advance the future of identity infrastructure to a cloud-native, multi-tenant, and developer-friendly platform.

Zitadel: The Future of Identity Infrastructure


Imagine this: Dave, an IT manager, is responsible for overseeing access for multiple tenants within his company’s cloud service. He has User A from RetailCo and User B from FinanceCorp, both needing access to the same service but with completely different security requirements. User A prefers logging in with their Google account and demands strict password policies. User B uses their company’s Azure AD and requires multi-factor authentication. Dave thought managing a single organization was tough, but this? This is a whole new level of complexity.

As if that wasn't enough, Dave’s company is rapidly growing, introducing more customers from various industries, each with unique compliance and security requirements. Now he has User C from TechInnovators who needs passkeys for enhanced security, and User D from EduWorld demanding seamless SAML integration with their existing single sign-on system. The more tenants Dave’s company takes on, the more convoluted and headache-inducing his job becomes.


## Understanding Multi-Tenant IAM

Implementing multi-tenant Identity and Access management (IAM) systems can be complex, daunting, and filled with hidden challenges. Whether you're addressing the needs of B2B, B2C, or M2M (Machine-to-Machine) environments, multi-tenancy involves a single service instance serving multiple tenants, such as organizations or customers. This requires meticulous data and component segmentation based on service needs and data types. The chaos gets further compounded with individual compliance requirements. 

Consider a simple login screen—two input fields and a button. It looks straightforward, right? But this seemingly simple UI is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind the scenes, there's a multitude of complexities: username and password management, multi-factor authentication options (SMS codes, email codes, authenticator apps), passwordless authentication (face recognition, fingerprint scans), and identity brokering (social logins like Google, Apple, or Facebook).

On top of that, managing security settings, performing regular penetration testing, adhering to standards (such as SCIM, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect), and obtaining certifications (like ISO and SOC 2) add layers of complexity. This is especially true when these features must be replicated across multiple tenants.


<figure>
  <img
    src="/blog/2024-07-25-navigating-pitfalls-of-multitenancy-01.png" 
    width="100%"
    alt="Underneath the simple login form"
    style={{ margin: '0 auto' }}
  />
  <figcaption>

    Figure 1 - Underneath the simple login form lies a multitude of complexities—it's merely the tip of the iceberg

  </figcaption>
</figure>


When you introduce multi-tenancy, everything becomes more complex. Each customer brings their unique requirements—username and password for one, passwordless or multi-factor authentication for another, or integration with existing identity systems like Azure AD or Google Business. These varying needs mean you must be able to configure and maintain diverse systems for each tenant, requiring significant time, expertise, and resources.

<figure>
  <img
    src="/blog/2024-07-25-navigating-pitfalls-of-multitenancy-02.png" 
    width="100%"
    alt="The layers of complexities"
    style={{ margin: '0 auto' }}
  />
  <figcaption>

    Figure 2 - The layers of complexities behind the the multi-dimensional aspects of multi-tenancy

  </figcaption>
</figure>

Let’s look at a real-world example. Imagine you run an online store serving end consumers, business partners, and your workforce. Each group has different needs: consumers need a user-friendly login and account management system, business partners (such as other sellers) might use their existing enterprise identity systems and may have their own branding requirements, and your workforce needs robust role and permission management to secure administrative tasks.

Yes, it’s possible to manage all these requirements with roles and permissions. However, when you consider the need for different security settings, it often makes more sense to adopt a multi-tenancy approach. As you scale to multiple customers, each one may require unique domains, branding, social logins, and security settings. Managing these variations with a roles and permissions model becomes increasingly complex and unwieldy. Multi-tenancy offers a more streamlined and efficient solution, allowing you to handle these diverse needs effectively and securely.

Questions to ask when dealing with multi-tenancy include: How many levels of tenancy do you need? Are there multiple organizations within a tenant? What scenarios are you dealing with (B2C, B2B, mixed)? Each user group might need different authentication methods, security policies, and compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, SOC 2, ISO).

Consider the example of a healthcare application where different tenants have varying password hashing requirements (PBKDF2, Argon2, bcrypt) and audit trail needs. Protocol-specific differences also arise; for instance, integrating customers’ existing Azure AD for user federation can lead to numerous configurations and requirements.

So, do you explain outdated or incorrect policies to each customer, or make your software flexible enough to handle these diverse needs while focusing on your business case? Ideally, you want to provide a robust, flexible platform that can accommodate different configurations and compliance requirements.

From an architectural perspective, you have two main options: shared systems or dedicated systems. Shared systems are cost-effective and simpler to manage but come with lower isolation, potential security risks, compliance challenges, and performance issues. Dedicated systems offer enhanced security, compliance, and customization but require more management, infrastructure costs, and personnel.

In summary, identity infrastructure involves much more than just two input fields and a button. It's intricate plumbing work, particularly with multi-tenancy. Always remember that the customer is king: guide them on security best practices, but also ensure your infrastructure can meet their unique needs. A proven track record in security is essential for enterprise deals, so regular penetration tests and certifications are crucial. Make use of established frameworks like OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect, and rely on an existing IAM product, such as ZITADEL, for authentication and authorization instead of building your own from scratch.


## How ZITADEL Handles Multi-Tenancy


ZITADEL has a strong focus on supporting SaaS providers with a multi-tenancy use case. This is achieved by allowing multiple organizations within your ZITADEL instance, where all customers can self-manage their own users and roles. ZITADEL operates as a shared system, but it also allows for virtual instances and separate organizations within each instance. This setup is particularly beneficial for B2B app providers where

- you sell your application to other businesses, where each business wants to manage their own users, roles, and access settings
- your customers have different needs for the login flow, such as unique branding, federated logins, password policies, and MFA options
- your customers want to self-manage their users and roles without relying on your administrative team
- users/employees of your customers need to log in or register independently
- not all customers have the same feature set within your application


## How Does Multi-Tenanacy Work in ZITADEL


### Create Organizations

For each customer, create an [organization](https://zitadel.com/docs/concepts/structure/organizations), the equivalent of a tenant, in ZITADEL. Assign an [organization manager](https://zitadel.com/docs/guides/manage/console/managers) to let each customer manage their users independently. Furthermore, users can belong to multiple organizations and switch between them using the same identity, simplifying user management and improving the user experience.

### Custom Configuration

Customers can configure their login look and feel ([branding](https://zitadel.com/docs/guides/manage/customize/branding), [authorization methods](https://zitadel.com/docs/guides/manage/console/roles), [federation](https://zitadel.com/docs/guides/integrate/identity-providers/introduction) or you can do it for them. ZITADEL supports various authentication methods, including [username/password](https://zitadel.com/docs/guides/integrate/login), MFA, and [passwordless options](https://zitadel.com/docs/concepts/features/passkeys). Integrate existing identity providers like Microsoft Azure AD, Google etc., allowing users to log in with their existing corporate credentials.

### Domain Discovery

ZITADEL offers [domain discovery](https://zitadel.com/docs/guides/solution-scenarios/domain-discovery) capabilities, which routes users to the appropriate organization based on their login methods, whether it's a username, email, or phone number. For instance, if a user from "foo.com" logs in, they are routed to the Foo Organization, while a user from "bar.com" is directed to the Bar Organization. This ensures users are authenticated according to their organization’s policies and access settings.


### Project Grants

With [project grants](https://zitadel.com/docs/concepts/structure/granted_projects) (also known as granted projects) your customers can access your project with a subset of roles so they can manage authorizations for their users. Enable granular role management, allowing organizations to assign specific roles and permissions to users based on their needs.



## Standards and Compliance


From a certification and standards compliance perspective, ZITADEL is [GDPR compliant](https://zitadel.com/gdpr) and [ZITADEL’s OIDC library has been certified by the OpenID Foundation](https://zitadel.com/blog/openid-connect-certification). Furthermore, [ZITADEL recently achieved ISO 27001 certification](https://zitadel.com/blog/zitadel-iso-27001-certified) for its information security management system, to maintain the highest standards of information security. ZITADEL assures customers that their data is protected by robust security measures, reflecting global best practices in information security management. 

By providing these capabilities, ZITADEL simplifies the management of multi-tenant IAM systems, ensuring security, flexibility, and ease of use for both administrators and end-users. Moreover, ZITADEL provides support for unlimited users, projects, and applications, making ZITADEL a trusted, secure, and scalable solution for your multi-tenant IAM needs that can grow with your business. 


*This blog post is based on and expands upon the talk "The Perils and Pitfalls of Multi-Tenant Identity Management" from Cloud Native Security Con 2024, North America. For the full discussion, you can watch the video [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZHxjnx81WE&list=PLj6h78yzYM2MSAFvjG22ZynvaUs1nnaQJ&index=46).*




This post explores the complexities and solutions of multi-tenant identity management in modern SaaS environments.

The Complexities and Pitfalls of Multi-Tenant Identity and Access Management


In this newsletter, I want to share updates about our platform, and provide some tips on how you can simplify your identity infrastructure.

## Feature highlights

In June,  we shipped over 60 bug fixes, improvements, and new features. Most of those changes were released with ZITADEL [v2.55.0](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/releases/tag/v2.55.0), so make sure you are running the latest version.

### New password expiry feature

ZITADEL has introduced a new password age policy feature, enabling organizations to require users to change their passwords regularly. This feature can be easily managed through the Console UI at both instance and organization levels. Users will be prompted to change their password in the Login UI if their current password exceeds the defined age limit. This enhancement strengthens ZITADEL's password management capabilities and provides organizations with greater control over their password lifecycle.

![ZITADEL Console UI password expiry settings](2024-07-04-zitadel-product-newsletter-june-2024-01.png)

### Limit requested roles with new scope

A new scope was introduced to address the issue of excessive roles being returned in tokens (and as such increasing their size) for users belonging to multiple organizations. This new scope allows administrators and applications to specify which organizations' roles should be included in the token, thus streamlining access control for specific use cases. By using the new scope, either once or multiple times, only the roles of the specified organizations will be included in the token.  It's important to note that this feature is not compatible with legacy mode for Introspection or Userinfo endpoints.

[Reserved Scopes](https://zitadel.com/docs/apis/openidoauth/scopes#reserved-scopes)

### More performance improvements

ZITADEL's performance continues to improve as the team works to identify and eliminate bottlenecks. Notably, import operations for large quantities of project grants will witness a substantial enhancement. Furthermore, a significant improvement has been made to OpenID Connect / OAuth 2.0 session checks, effectively addressing recent observations identified during load testing.

### Sending test emails

The newly introduced feature has enhanced ZITADEL’s SMTP functionality by introducing a new testing step within the SMTP provider wizard. This allows administrators to verify their SMTP configuration before saving or updating it, preventing potential issues with email delivery. Additionally, the existing table of SMTP providers now includes a test option for existing configurations. This streamlined testing process ensures that email settings are correct from the outset, saving time and effort. This feature was contributed by the community - thank you for your efforts!

![ZITADEL Console UI sending test email during configuration of SMTP](2024-07-04-zitadel-product-newsletter-june-2024-02.png)

[Changelog](https://zitadel.com/changelog)

## ZITADEL achieves ISO 27001 certification, reinforcing commitment to security

<img src="/blog/2024-07-04-zitadel-product-newsletter-june-2024-03.png" width="25%" align="left" alt="" class="wrap"/>

In a significant milestone for ZITADEL's commitment to security and data protection, we have achieved ISO 27001 certification for our information security management system (ISMS). This internationally recognized standard validates our dedication to maintaining the highest levels of security for our customers' data.

To provide further transparency and information about our security practices, we have also updated our [Trust Center](https://trust.zitadel.com). This resource offers comprehensive details on our security posture, policies, and certifications.

[ZITADEL Achieves ISO 27001 Certification](https://zitadel.com/blog/zitadel-iso-27001-certified)

## 21 more reasons to celebrate: Community contributions in June

* Many Console UI improvements were contributed by [doncicuto](https://github.com/doncicuto) improving the user experience for administrators and users. Moreover [doncicuto](https://github.com/doncicuto) made it possible to send test mails for SMTP configurations and further improvements to mail providers.
* [JesperWe](https://github.com/JesperWe) made it possible for Swedish speakers to use their beautiful native language
* [Schettn](https://github.com/schettn) created a guide to integrate with the [Pylon](https://github.com/getcronit/pylon) framework

Many thanks to the contributors this month for their efforts, helping to improve documentation, tests, and fixing bugs in our code: [dkaminer](https://github.com/dkaminer), [panapol-p](https://github.com/panapol-p), [jvanderneutstulen](https://github.com/jvanderneutstulen), [danielmoisa](https://github.com/danielmoisa), [Loddan](https://github.com/Loddan), [Yxnt](https://github.com/Yxnt), [Cubox](https://github.com/Cubox), [danielloader](https://github.com/danielloader), [jfschubert](https://github.com/jfschubert)

Thinking of contributing? Grab a ‘good first issue’ or start a discussion. 

[Contributing guide](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)

## Additional resources

* [ZITADEL Bi-Weekly Office Hours](https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/blob/main/MEETING_SCHEDULE.md)
* [Forza Italia: Retreat the third edition in Bologna](https://zitadel.com/blog/team-retreat-bologna)
* First time contribution (Japanese only): [OSS コントリビュートの実績を解除した](https://zenn.dev/otakakot/articles/dc58ff849e43e4)
* Integrate .NET (Polish only):  [Integracja Aplikacji .NET z Zitadel | bd90](https://bd90.pl/integracja-aplikacji-net-z-zitadel/)

ZITADEL introduced new features and enhancements, including a password expiry feature, a new scope to limit requested roles in tokens, SMTP configuration testing, and performance improvements. ZITADEL achieved ISO 27001 certification, demonstrating its commitment to security.

Product Newsletter June 2024


ZITADEL, a leading provider of cloud-native identity and access management (IAM) solutions, has achieved ISO 27001 certification for its information security management system (ISMS). This certification demonstrates ZITADEL's deeply rooted commitment to protect the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of customer, company, and employee data.

"Obtaining the ISO 27001 certification is a testament to ZITADEL's commitment to information security," said Florian Forster, CEO of ZITADEL. "This certification demonstrates that we have the systems and processes in place to protect our customers' data."

<img src="/blog/2024-06-20-zitadel-iso-27001-certified-01.png" width="35%" align="left" alt="" class="wrap"/>

The ISO 27001 standard is a globally recognized framework for information security management. It provides a comprehensive set of requirements for establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining, and continually improving the security of ZITADEL.

We designed our information security management system (ISMS) to protect against a wide range of threats, including unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyberattacks. The ISMS further includes processes for managing and responding to security incidents.

"Secure development and operations practices are essential for protecting our customers' data," said Fabienne Bühler, CPO of ZITADEL. "ISO 27001 certification provides our customers with assurance that their data is safe and secure."

ZITADEL's ISO 27001 certification is a valuable asset for the company's customers. It provides customers with assurance that their data is protected by world-class processes and tools .

"Our commitment to information security and data privacy is steadfast," said Maximilian Panne, COO of ZITADEL. "ISO 27001 certification is a recognition of our efforts to protect our customers' data at ZITADEL."



You can verify the validity of our ISO certificate by visiting the [website of the British Assessment Bureau](https://cvs.babcert.com/babcert.asp?c=258048&v=3fs61l6zn6).

Visit the [Trust Center](https://trust.zitadel.com) to learn more about our commitment to information security and data protection.


ZITADEL achieved ISO 27001 certification, demonstrating its dedication to data protection and cybersecurity. This certification provides a framework for information security management, safeguarding data against unauthorized access and cyber attacks.

ZITADEL Achieves ISO 27001 Certification


As a fully remote company, the time we spend together in person is precious.
This is why twice a year, our team gathers for an in person retreat, an opportunity to connect beyond the virtual world.
Last week, we met outside the beautiful city of Bologna for our first retreat of the year.
Since we really enjoyed it, we wanted to share a glimpse of  our week-long adventure.

## Travel Monday and Arrival in Bologna

After a full day of travel by plane or train excitement filled the air as we arrived in Bologna.
The last steps to our accommodation were harder than expected, the location with its view of its flowing hills and grape wines were worth it.
As everybody arrived later in the afternoon we rounded off the evening with pasta, as one would expect in Italy.
We even committed ourselves to cooking two fresh sauces, ragu and a verdure.  The whole team enjoyed the get-together and chatted until late that night over a drink.

<figure>
    <img src="/blog/2024-06-19-team-retreat-bologna-01.jpg" width="100%" alt="Up the hill." />
</figure>

## Workshop Tuesday (with Pizza)

Tuesday marked the beginning of our planned activities. In the morning, we gathered for a collaborative workshop focused on team dynamics and fostering a productive environment. This session, prepared with the guidance of our coach, Diane, was insightful and set a strong foundation for our company culture.

The afternoon was free for everyone to explore the surroundings or engage in spontaneous discussions. Some team members chose to go for a walk, while others stayed back to exchange ideas and plans that have been in their heads for a long time and some others decided to play a game called Kubb.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly pizza night. Max brought his portable pizza oven, and Florian had spent the afternoon making pizza dough from scratch. As evening fell, we gathered to create our own pizzas. The making was as enjoyable as the delicious outcome. We laughed, shared stories, and ate homemade pizzas—a perfect blend of teamwork and fun.

<figure>
    <img src="/blog/2024-06-19-team-retreat-bologna-02.jpg" width="100%" alt="Pizza Night" />
</figure>

## Wednesday, Continued Workshops and Exploration

Wednesday morning continued with another productive workshop session. Building on the previous day's discussions and results, we delved deeper into our operating principles, aligning our visions and strengthening our collaborative spirit.

The afternoon was again free for personal activities. These unstructured times were as valuable as the workshops, allowing for organic connections and idea exchanges.

<figure>
    <img src="/blog/2024-06-19-team-retreat-bologna-03.jpg" width="100%" alt="Workshop" />
</figure>

### A Culinary Adventure on Thursday

Thursday was dedicated entirely to food. We went on a walking food tour in Bologna, immersing ourselves in the local culinary delights. From fresh pasta to delicious pastries, we tasted a variety of specialties that the city is renowned for, such as cold-cuts, Tiggele, Tortellini al Brodo, Tagliatelle al Ragù. This gastronomic journey was not just about food but also about experiencing the culture and history of Bologna together.

<figure>
    <img src="/blog/2024-06-19-team-retreat-bologna-04.jpg" width="100%" alt="Pasta" />
</figure>

<figure>
    <img src="/blog/2024-06-19-team-retreat-bologna-05.jpg" width="100%" alt="Church" />
</figure>

### The Importance of In-Person Retreats

We figured that these in-person retreats are crucial for our company culture. They provide us with a unique opportunity to build stronger relationships and learn about each other's interests and expertise. Spending time together allows us to connect on a personal and social level, enhancing our collaboration and understanding of each other, far beyond what is possible through modern communication channels like video and audio.

Our week in Bologna was a resounding success. From the insightful workshops to unforgettable culinary experiences, we cherished every moment. These retreats remind us of the importance of human connection in a digital world. It made us aware that remote work is hard work, and we are already looking forward to seeing each other again in person in the next retreat.

<figure>
    <img src="/blog/2024-06-19-team-retreat-bologna-06.jpg" width="100%" alt="Team" />
</figure>


As a fully remote company, the time we spend together in person is precious. Get some insights about our third team retreat taking place in Bologna.

All posts/ #about_us