About Justin Riddiough

A strategic partner for open-source communities, Justin Riddiough specializes in architecting digital ecosystems and fostering developer advocacy through secure, reliable platforms.

Photo of Justin Riddiough
Justin Riddiough

A community builder’s journey often starts with understanding how systems, both technical and human, work together. For Justin, this began with a hands-on curiosity that led to a career focused on creating robust platforms and fostering collaboration.

An early, formative experience as an Operations Analyst at DST Systems involved more than just managing e-commerce infrastructure; it was about uniting diverse technical groups to solve critical problems under pressure. This role highlighted a core principle of effective DevRel: success isn’t just about code, it’s about clear communication, shared understanding, and building processes that enable people to collaborate effectively. It’s about architecting the “digital town square” and ensuring it runs smoothly.

This philosophy of building enabling ecosystems has been the thread throughout Justin’s career, with a specialization in:

  • Community Platform Architecture: Building the central hubs where communities connect, using modern tools like Hugo and proven frameworks like Drupal.
  • Developer Advocacy & Empathy: Translating complex technical concepts into clear, actionable guidance to empower community members and lower the barrier to entry.
  • Security as a Foundation of Trust: Applying a proactive, ethical hacking mindset to secure web applications, because a trustworthy community requires a secure platform. This expertise has been validated by bug bounty awards from organizations like Stanford and HackerOne.
  • Reliable Infrastructure: Designing and managing scalable cloud solutions (GCP, AWS) that provide a stable and performant home for the community.
Justin’s commitment to the principles of a free, open, and secure internet was recognized in 2013 when he received the “Order of the Defender of the Internet” medal. This award underscores a deep alignment with the ethos of open-source, including transparency, collaboration, and empowerment, that is central to building authentic developer communities.
Order of the Defender of the Internet Medal
Order of the Defender of the Internet (2013)