The Ship Log

Learning Kubernetes basics can feel like being handed a cockpit when you asked how to drive, so this guide keeps both feet on the ground. It’s written for developers who are comfortable running a container or two and keep hearing that Kubernetes is the next thing to learn. I’ll cover the problem it actually solves, its mental model, the core objects you’ll meet, and — just as important — an honest take on whether you need it at all. In this guide The problem Kubernetes solves The mental model: a cluster of workers Pods, deployments, services How it self-heals and scales The learning curve, honestly Do you actually need Kubernetes? Lighter alternatives FAQ Quick answer: Kubernetes is a system that runs and manages containers across a group of machines for you. You describe the desired state — “keep three copies of this app running” — and it continuously works to make reality match, restarting or rescheduling container...

Infrastructure as code is the practice of defining your servers, networks, and cloud resources in text files instead of clicking through a web console. This guide is for developers who can deploy an app but still set up the surrounding infrastructure by hand and suspect there’s a better way. I’ll explain what infrastructure as code is, why teams abandoned console-clicking, the declarative approach, the concept of state, and how to start small without breaking anything. In this guide What infrastructure as code means The problem with clicking consoles Declarative vs imperative What a config actually looks like State: the concept that trips people up Popular tools How to start small and safe FAQ Quick answer: Infrastructure as code means describing your infrastructure — servers, databases, networks — in version-controlled files that a tool reads to create or update the real thing. Instead of remembering which buttons you clicked, you keep a repeata...

This guide to Docker for beginners exists because containers are the piece of modern infrastructure that finally makes “it works on my machine” stop being an excuse. If you can run a program in a terminal but have never packaged one to share, you’re exactly who I have in mind. I’ll explain what a container really is, how images differ from containers, the handful of commands you actually need, and the Dockerfile that ties it all together — no prior ops experience assumed. In this guide The 'works on my machine' problem What a container is (vs a VM) Images vs containers The handful of commands you need A Dockerfile, line by line Where images live: registries Common beginner mistakes FAQ Quick answer: Docker packages an app together with everything it needs to run — code, libraries, and settings — into a portable unit called a container. That container behaves the same on your laptop, a teammate’s machine, and a production s...

A CI/CD pipeline is the automated path your code takes from a git commit to running in production — building it, testing it, and delivering it without anyone hand-carrying each step. This guide is for developers moving into DevOps who keep hearing “check the pipeline” in standup and want a clear mental model instead of buzzwords. I’ll cover what continuous integration and delivery mean, the stages a real pipeline runs, a worked commit-to-production example, and how to build a first pipeline you can trust. In this guide What CI/CD actually means Continuous integration vs delivery vs deployment The stages of a typical pipeline A worked example: commit to production Gates: tests, reviews, approvals Rollbacks and safety Your first pipeline, step by step FAQ Quick answer: A CI/CD pipeline automatically builds and tests every change, then moves it toward production the same way every time. It replaces slow, manual, error-prone deploys with one repeatab...

A blue green deployment is one of the simplest ways to ship a new version of your app without taking it offline, and it’s the strategy most teams reach for first. This guide is for developers who can already deploy but want to stop dreading the moment they hit “release.” I’ll explain blue-green and its cousin the canary release, how each avoids downtime, the trade-offs involved, and how to choose between them. In this guide Why deployment strategy matters Blue-green: two identical environments Canary: release to a slice first Rolling deployments A comparison table How to roll back fast Which to choose FAQ Quick answer: A blue-green deployment runs two identical production environments — one live, one idle. You deploy the new version to the idle one, test it in private, then switch all traffic over at once. If anything looks wrong, you switch straight back, which makes rollback nearly instant. Why deployment strategy matters How you relea...