Building a Production-Grade k3s Cluster on Spare Capacity
I built a 3-node k3s cluster that deploys automatically in 5 minutes using Terraform and cloud-init. Here’s how it works and what I learned.
Blog Posts
Recent Posts
Operational Guardrails for Multi-Tenant PostgreSQL
Operational guardrails needed to safely run PostgreSQL in a multi-tenant configuration, including connection limits, timeouts, lock protection, shared resour...
Recovering from Toolchain Drift on macOS
A real-world example of toolchain drift on macOS, why it happens, and how pinning or downgrading dependencies can be a pragmatic recovery strategy.
Operational Realities of Running PostgreSQL
Practical lessons about running PostgreSQL as a system: memory, storage, I/O, and why defaults and containers don’t remove operational responsibility.
Kubernetes ServiceAccount Tokens and CI/CD Authentication
A practical explanation of how Kubernetes ServiceAccount authentication works for CI/CD systems, what changed in Kubernetes 1.24, and why previously working ...
Creating and Understanding kubeconfig Files
A practical mental model for creating and understanding kubeconfig files, including clusters, users, contexts, and how kubectl actually authenticates.
Understanding Byte Size Units (Without Overthinking Them)
A practical explanation of byte size units—KB vs KiB, MB vs MiB—and why the distinction matters in real systems.
Installing the NFS Subdir External Provisioner with Helm
How to install and reason about the NFS Subdir External Provisioner using Helm, enabling dynamic NFS-backed Persistent Volumes in Kubernetes.
Fixing Kubernetes Namespaces Stuck in Terminating
A practical explanation of why Kubernetes namespaces get stuck in Terminating and how to safely resolve the issue by understanding and managing finalizers.
Creating Kubernetes Secrets from the Command Line (and When Not To)
Practical notes on creating Kubernetes Secrets from the command line, including when kubectl create secret is appropriate—and when it becomes a liability.
Understanding Docker Containers by Using docker create Explicitly
A practical mental model for understanding how Docker containers are configured by separating container definition from execution using docker create.
Docker CLI Aliases for Day-to-Day Work
A curated set of Docker CLI aliases that reduce friction during day-to-day container work, with context on how and when to use them.
Chef Knife Bootstrap: Practical Notes for Linux and Windows Nodes
Practical notes and command patterns for bootstrapping Linux and Windows nodes with Chef using knife bootstrap, including legacy systems and policy-based wor...
How NFS-Backed Persistent Volumes Actually Work in Kubernetes
A practical mental model for understanding how NFS-backed Persistent Volumes, StorageClasses, and external provisioners work together in Kubernetes.
Helm CLI: Practical Command Notes
A practical collection of Helm CLI commands for inspecting releases, managing charts, and debugging deployments in Kubernetes clusters.
Network Concepts for Platform Engineers
A practical refresher on Layer 2 vs Layer 3 networking, VLANs vs subnets, and how these concepts actually show up in day-to-day platform engineering work.
Server Virtualization for Platform Engineers
A platform-engineer-focused overview of server virtualization, covering hypervisors, overcommitment, availability, and how these concepts still matter in a c...
Virtualization and CPU: vCPU, Scheduling, and Overcommitment
A platform engineer’s guide to how CPUs are virtualized, how vCPUs are scheduled, and why CPU overcommitment usually works—until it doesn’t.
Useful Linux Commands for Platform Engineers
A small but high-leverage set of Linux commands platform engineers reach for when debugging performance, identity, and system state.
Python Fundamentals: From Automation Scripts to Maintainable Systems
A practical guide to Python fundamentals, design patterns, and SOLID principles—framed for engineers who write Python for automation, pipelines, and systems ...
Virtualization – Network
An overview of how networking works in virtualized environments, what gets abstracted, and why troubleshooting virtual networks is often harder than physical...
Host Memory and CPU Troubleshooting: A Practical Playbook
A practical, host-level troubleshooting guide for diagnosing CPU and memory pressure using sysstat, procfs, and core Linux tools.
Network Troubleshooting: A Practical, Layered Approach
A step-by-step approach to diagnosing network problems, focusing on isolating failure domains and validating assumptions layer by layer.
Host Storage Management: Capacity, Performance, and Failure Modes
A practical guide to managing host-level storage, focusing on capacity, performance characteristics, and the failure modes engineers actually encounter in pr...
Ansible: Practical Automation Without a Control Plane
A practical look at Ansible as a lightweight automation and configuration tool, focused on how it’s used in real systems and platform environments.
AWS CLI Notes: Inspecting IAM Accounts, Users, Groups, and Roles
Practical AWS CLI commands for inspecting IAM account state, users, groups, roles, and attached policies without relying on the AWS console.
Kubernetes Cluster Configuration: Decisions That Shape Everything
A practical guide to Kubernetes cluster configuration, focusing on the early decisions that determine security, reliability, and operational sanity.
Create a New Git Merge Request from the Command Line
A practical guide to creating Git merge requests directly from the command line, streamlining review workflows without leaving the terminal.
Authenticating GitLab Runner to Kubernetes
How GitLab Runner authenticates to Kubernetes, the security implications of each method, and how to choose the right approach for production clusters.
Three Useful fzf Commands for Everyday Terminal Work
Three practical fzf patterns that turn common terminal tasks—finding files, commands, and processes—into fast, interactive workflows.
Using Kubernetes Secrets for Rails Application Configuration
How to configure a Rails application using Kubernetes Secrets, why this pattern works well in containerized environments, and what pitfalls to avoid.
AWS Tag Filtering Using Terraform Data Sources
How to use Terraform data sources to discover and filter AWS resources by tags, enabling dynamic and environment-aware infrastructure configurations.
Kubernetes Manual Certificate Updates and Upgrade Bug Fixes
How to manually update Kubernetes certificates, why certificate issues often surface during upgrades, and how to safely recover clusters when automation fall...
Fetch the Latest GitLab Repository Signing Key
How to fetch and install the latest GitLab package repository signing key, why this matters for secure package installation, and how to avoid common APT key ...
tmux Cheatsheet: Practical Commands for Daily Use
A practical tmux cheatsheet focused on the commands and patterns you actually use when living in terminals and remote systems.
Vim Cheatsheet: Practical Commands You Actually Use
A practical Vim cheatsheet focused on the commands and patterns most useful for everyday editing in terminal-based workflows.
Key and Certificate Extraction from a PFX File
How to extract private keys and certificates from a PFX (PKCS#12) file using OpenSSL, with an explanation of what’s inside the file and how to handle the out...
Docker Cheatsheet: Practical Commands for Daily Use
A practical Docker cheatsheet focused on the commands and patterns you actually use when building, running, and debugging containers.
Kubernetes Cheatsheet: Practical kubectl Commands
A practical Kubernetes cheatsheet focused on kubectl commands and patterns you actually use when operating clusters and debugging workloads.
Display Verbose Output During vagrant up
How to enable verbose output during vagrant up, why it’s useful for debugging provisioning issues, and when increased verbosity is worth the noise.
RVM Cheatsheet: Practical Ruby Version Management
A practical RVM cheatsheet covering the commands you actually use to install, switch, and manage Ruby versions and gemsets.
Order ls Command Output by Date
How to order ls output by date, what each time field represents, and which flags are most useful when investigating files and directories.
Run a Rails App Without a Database
How to run a Rails application without a database, why you might want to, and what configuration changes are required to avoid unnecessary coupling.
See Git Log in Glorious Detail
How to view Git history in rich, readable detail using git log options that surface context, intent, and change impact.
Can’t Find the libpq-fe.h Header?
How to resolve errors related to missing libpq-fe.h headers when compiling PostgreSQL clients or native extensions, and why this issue occurs.
Shrink a SQL Database Log File Safely
How to safely shrink a SQL database transaction log file, when it’s appropriate to do so, and why indiscriminate shrinking often causes more harm than good.
Skip the Pipeline When Pushing to Git
How to intentionally skip CI/CD pipelines when pushing to Git, when it’s appropriate to do so, and how to avoid accidental misuse.
How to Delete a Local and Remote Git Branch
How to safely delete local and remote Git branches, what the commands actually do, and how to avoid common cleanup mistakes.
systemd Cheatnotes: Practical Service Management
Practical systemd commands and patterns for managing services, inspecting state, and troubleshooting issues on modern Linux systems.
Save a File in Vim Without sudo
How to save a file in Vim when you forgot to open it with sudo, why the trick works, and when you should avoid using it.
Restarting Unicorn Without Dropping Requests
How to restart a Unicorn-based Rails application safely, what signals Unicorn responds to, and how to avoid dropping requests during restarts.
Active Record: Query Only the Columns You Want
How to query only specific columns with Active Record, why it matters for performance and memory usage, and how to avoid common pitfalls.
File Archiving and Compression Cheatsheet
A practical cheatsheet for creating, extracting, and inspecting compressed archives using common Unix tools.