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 platform engineering. 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 I can explain and operate. I automate recurring work when the resulting workflow is easier to maintain than the manual process, and I avoid adding complexity when a simpler solution does the job.