CIFv2 was developed around Ubuntu14, CIFv3 has been developed against Ubuntu16. If you're just starting out, you should be test driving CIFv3:
https://github.com/csirtgadgets/bearded-avenger-deploymentkit
There are many ways to get involved with the project. If you have a new and exciting feature, or even a simple bugfix, simply fork the repo, create some simple test cases, generate a pull-request and give yourself credit!
If you've never worked on a GitHub project, this is a good piece for getting started.
Free use of this software is granted under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPLv3). For details see the files COPYING included with the distribution.