From application code to platform engineering

I started in backend and e-commerce development at Suite Seven, working with PHP, Magento and Shopware. Alongside the application code, I built and maintained GitLab CI/CD pipelines and worked with the Linux hosting environments used to test and deploy it.

The delivery side gradually became my main focus. Later roles moved me further into platform automation and cloud engineering. At TrueFullstaq, I worked with Azure and Terraform on networking, identity, monitoring and troubleshooting in managed environments.

I now focus primarily on Kubernetes, Azure, Terraform, GitOps and automation. My development background is still useful when a deployment failure crosses the boundary between application code, a pipeline and the platform underneath it.

My Talos Kubernetes homelab gives me a hands-on environment for exploring that work hands-on. It is a four-node Raspberry Pi 5 cluster where I run Talos Linux, reconcile changes through ArgoCD and work with networking, secrets, persistent storage and monitoring on real hardware.

I prefer systems whose moving parts can be explained and operated. I automate recurring work when the resulting workflow is easier to own than the manual process, and I do not add complexity simply to make a solution look more advanced.