Patience, Consistency, Persistence.
About Me
I currently work at Shiploads Pty Ltd as an ICT Support Technician, managing all aspects of IT infrastructure. When I first started, I wasn't entirely sure where my career would lead, but as I immersed myself in the role, I discovered a genuine passion for automation and infrastructure management.
Throughout my work, I've automated and streamlined numerous processes using Power Automate, Bash, Python, and custom monitoring scripts. I've built cross-integration solutions that fetch data from APIs and integrate with in-house servers, implemented cron jobs for Django applications, and much more. This hands-on experience opened my eyes to the power of automation.
Beyond automation, I've developed a strong foundation in infrastructure management—maintaining Active Directory Domain Services, administering Microsoft 365 environments, managing user accounts, permissions, and ensuring robust security practices. This blend of automation and infrastructure work naturally led me toward the world of DevOps.
My Journey
Master of IT - UTAS
Graduated from the University of Tasmania with a Master's degree in Information Technology, building a strong theoretical foundation in computing and systems.
ICT Support Technician - Shiploads
Began my professional journey at Shiploads, taking responsibility for comprehensive IT infrastructure management and discovering my passion for practical problem-solving.
Automation & Infrastructure Discovery
Unlocked my passion for automation through hands-on work with Power Automate, Python, Bash scripting, API integrations, and infrastructure management including Active Directory and Microsoft 365 administration.
DevOps Exploration
Discovered the world of DevOps, diving deep into CI/CD pipelines, containerization with Docker, and modern deployment strategies. This marked the beginning of my journey toward becoming a DevOps engineer.
First CI/CD Deployment
Built and deployed my first production-ready DevOps project on AWS EC2 using Docker, Docker Compose, and Nginx with HTTPS via Let's Encrypt. Implemented automated deployments through GitHub Actions CI/CD.
Operating Principle: Build fast, break things, learn faster.
Kubernetes Deployment Experiment
Deployed a NextJS portfolio application in a private Kubernetes cluster using Minikube on a Hyper-V Ubuntu VM. Configured secure public access via a persistent Cloudflare Tunnel. Successfully tested the same portfolio app in a containerized Kubernetes environment.
Operating Principle: Build fast, break things, learn faster.
Currently RetiredEnterprise-Grade Kubernetes CI/CD System
While the older two projects were rapid prototypes, this one is built using a gradual, iterative approach that simulates professional working environments, focusing on systematic improvements and best practices at each stage.
Currently building a production-ready Kubernetes CI/CD pipeline from the ground up using industry best practices. This comprehensive project includes:
- Bare-Metal Kubernetes Cluster: Built a 3-node cluster from scratch (1 control plane, 2 workers) with complete networking, storage, and security configuration
- GitOps with ArgoCD: Implementing declarative continuous delivery with automated sync policies and multi-environment management
- Multi-Environment Architecture: Separate dev, staging, and production environments using Kustomize overlays for configuration management
- Reusable CI Workflows: Created modular GitHub Actions templates for linting, testing, building, and deploying containerized applications
- Security-First Approach: Implemented pod security policies, network policies, RBAC, non-root containers, and automated policy enforcement using Conftest
- Infrastructure as Code: All infrastructure defined declaratively with proper versioning, validation (kubeval, kube-score), and documentation
- Service Mesh & Networking: Configured MetalLB for load balancing, Nginx Ingress controllers, and Flannel CNI for pod networking
- Cloudflare Tunnel Integration: Deployed Cloudflared as a sidecar container for secure public access to cluster applications without exposing ports, with automated DNS management and zero-trust security
- Comprehensive Testing: Pre-deployment validation pipeline including YAML linting, schema validation, policy testing, and security scanning
While the older two projects were rapid prototypes, this one is built using a gradual, iterative approach that simulates professional working environments, focusing on systematic improvements and best practices at each stage.
Roadmap
✅ Completed
- Bare-metal Kubernetes cluster setup (3-node)
- GitOps implementation with ArgoCD
- Multi-environment architecture (dev/stage/prod)
- Reusable GitHub Actions CI workflows
- Security policies and enforcement (Conftest, OPA)
- Container registry integration (Docker Hub)
- Ingress controllers and load balancing (MetalLB)
- Automated deployments with health checks
- Pod networking with Flannel CNI
- Comprehensive documentation and learning logs
🚀 Next Steps
- Multi-Application Deployment: Deploy additional microservices and applications to demonstrate scalability and workload diversity
- Centralized Versioning: Implement comprehensive versioning strategy across repositories, workflows, container images, and Helm charts for complete traceability
- Monitoring & Observability: Deploy Prometheus for metrics collection and Grafana for visualization, creating comprehensive dashboards for cluster and application health
- Centralized Logging: Implement EFK Stack (Elasticsearch, Fluentd, Kibana) for aggregated log management and analysis across all cluster workloads
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform): Transform the entire infrastructure setup into Terraform modules for reproducible, automated deployment of the complete environment
- Cloud Migration: Migrate and adapt the infrastructure to AWS (EKS) and Azure (AKS) platforms, demonstrating cloud-agnostic architecture principles
