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09/06/2026 11:21 pm
TL;DR: Keynotes, workshops, and technical sessions will come together in Los Angeles from September 30 to October 1, with certification training starting September 29 and limited seats for the full experience, according to Kong. For identity teams, the real value is seeing how API, workload, and agent-access patterns are being packaged for builders rather than governance owners.
NHIMG editorial — here’s why we think this discussion matters
By the numbers:
- The event runs in Los Angeles from September 30 to October 1, 2026, with pre-event certification training starting September 29.
- Early bird registration is $249, standard registration is $449, and last chance pricing is $549.
- The certification training add-on is limited to 100 seats and is priced at $299 early bird, $499 standard, and $599 at last chance.
Questions worth separating out
Q: How should IAM teams interpret developer summit content for identity governance?
A: They should treat developer summit content as an early signal of which access patterns will spread into production.
Q: Why do developer-led access models create NHI risk?
A: Developer-led access models often prioritise speed and integration over clear ownership, expiry, and offboarding.
Practitioner guidance
- Review developer training outputs for identity assumptions Ask platform and engineering teams which access patterns, token-handling habits, and secret-management practices are being reinforced in workshops and certification content.
- Map API access patterns to NHI lifecycle controls Trace how service accounts, API keys, and machine tokens are created, reused, and retired across the systems discussed at the summit.
- Insert IAM review gates into platform engineering work Require identity architecture review before new platform workflows or developer enablement programmes are adopted.
What to expect at the briefing
Kong's full event page covers the schedule and registration details this post intentionally leaves aside:
- Venue, timing, and ticketing information for the in-person Los Angeles summit
- Hotel room and training add-on details for attendees who want the full experience
- Pricing tiers and seat availability for the certification training add-on
- The event registration flow for teams planning to attend keynotes and workshops
👉 Register for Kong Developer Summit 2026 in Los Angeles →
Kong Developer Summit 2026 in Los Angeles: what IAM teams should watch?
Explore further
10/06/2026 1:40 am
Developer conferences are governance events in disguise. The access models normalised in builder communities often become the default control assumptions later seen in production systems. That means IAM teams are not just governing current behaviour, they are also reacting to patterns already taught, copied, and scaled by engineering organisations. Practitioners should read summit agendas as indicators of where identity risk will emerge next.
A few things that frame the scale:
- The average estimated time to remediate a leaked secret is 27 days, despite 75% of organisations expressing strong confidence in their secrets management capabilities, according to The State of Secrets in AppSec.
- Only 44% of developers are reported to follow security best practices for secrets management, exposing a significant developer behaviour gap.
A question worth separating out:
Q: What should organisations do after a summit focused on platform engineering and access?
A: They should convert the event’s themes into review items for service accounts, secrets, and privilege scope. The most useful outcome is a short list of patterns that need policy, ownership, or lifecycle control before they become default practice across environments.
👉 Read our full editorial: Kong Developer Summit 2026 in Los Angeles: identity implications
