# About Forge

Learn about Forge's origins, evolution, and the core principles that guide platform development.

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## 📖 History

Forge is the evolution of our platform strategy, born from lessons learned in the CIAM project. What started as an RFP search for integration platforms has grown into a comprehensive developer platform addressing systemic pain points.

### Timeline

```text
2023                    2024                     2025
RFP Evaluation    →    CIAM Development    →    Platform Team & Forge Launch
```

**[Read full history →](./history.md)**

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## 🎯 Platform Principles

Decision-making frameworks that guide Forge development:

| Principle                     | Focus                                                    |
| ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Speed-to-Value**            | Reduce time-to-first-deployment for every feature        |
| **Proven Patterns**           | Secure, tested defaults over flexibility                 |
| **Leverage Over Invention**   | Build on existing solutions instead of custom code       |
| **Team Autonomy**             | Eliminate dependencies on central teams                  |
| **Zero-Trust Architecture**   | Secure by default without additional configuration       |
| **Local-First Orchestration** | Mirror production architecture through local tooling     |
| **Platform as a Product**     | Manage with roadmap, lifecycle, and deprecation policies |

**[See detailed principles →](./principles.md)**

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## 💬 Getting Support

Need help with Forge? Here's how to reach the Platform Team:

| Channel                                                                                                                                                                                                          | Use For                                     |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| 💬 [Teams Channel](https://teams.microsoft.com/l/channel/19%3Acb611810fb0b42b080cfff5590bdd51c%40thread.tacv2/Support?groupId=514d2dac-2d62-48ce-bf99-0fa0ce39469c&tenantId=a86cb8ed-369b-4df5-ace5-43811f6e08cf) | Questions, troubleshooting, discussions     |
| 🎫 [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/saif-corp/forge/issues)                                                                                                                                                     | Feature requests, bug reports, enhancements |

### Before Reaching Out

1. **Check the documentation** — Many common questions are answered in the [Guides](../guides/index.md)
2. **Search existing issues** — Your question may already be tracked in the backlog
3. **Include context** — Share error messages, Forge version, and relevant configuration