---
title: "The Tao of Cloudsmith"
description: "The foundational formative thoughts and guiding principles for Cloudsmith"
canonical_url: "https://cloudsmith.com/company/the-tao-of-cloudsmith"
last_updated: "2026-10-07T13:03:06Z"
---
# The Tao of Cloudsmith

## Tao of Cloudsmith

### Honesty and Transparency

*Hide nothing, then there is nothing to hide*

Openness and honesty are fundamental to building trust with customers and within the team. Cloudsmith aims to communicate clearly about what is happening and keep people informed rather than obscuring information behind selective statistics or messaging.

### Automate Everything

*If it can be automated, it should be automated*

Manual, repetitive tasks should be automated wherever possible, written once and versioned, atomic, and reliably repeatable. Automation lets Cloudsmith scale beyond human capacity, reduce errors, and move faster.

### Cloud Capabilities

*Be elastic; leverage the capability of the cloud*

The elasticity, flexibility, and scalability of the cloud make it possible to deliver a service beyond what traditional infrastructure allows. Designing for the cloud from day one lets Cloudsmith exploit its advantages and help customers do the same.

### Collective Ownership

*Everything is permitted, nothing is exclusive*

Responsibility and ownership are shared equally across the team, with no concept of sole ownership. Anyone can change any part of the product for the greater good, backed by peer review, continuous integration, testing, and customer feedback.

### Customer Collaboration

*Give customers a voice and make sure we listen*

Involving customers early and often ensures Cloudsmith builds the right software. Giving them an active voice in product direction limits scope creep and makes sure features do what they say on the tin, and do it well.

### Just Better

*Better trained, better equipped, better … just better!*

Borrowed from Red Dwarf, this principle is born of aspiration, not arrogance. Everything can be improved, good enough is never simply good enough, and there is no best, just better.

### Sustainable Pace

*A sustainable pace establishes a sustainable service*

People do their best, most creative work when fully rested. Better planning, practices, and testing minimize overtime culture, so no one is asked to work more than required or treated as a disposable resource.

### Pragmatic Programming

*Perfection is the enemy of good; practicality first, perfection later*

Every problem is approached with a practical mindset while still caring deeply about craftsmanship. Cloudsmith keeps learning new techniques and tools, values admitting when it is wrong, and takes customer happiness seriously.