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The DevOps Odyssey, Part 4: Secrets, GitHub Auth, and Scaling Out

originally posted at LinkedIn at Aug 31, 2025

In Part 1, I bootstrapped a zero-click deployment pipeline on OCI with Terraform, Ansible, and Docker Compose — complete with HTTPS, DNS, and CI/CD.

Part 2 evolved that into a Kubernetes-native architecture, replacing Docker with K3s for a declarative control plane.

Part 3 brought in GitOps with Argo CD, letting the cluster manage itself from a single commit.

Now, in Part 4, I pushed the setup toward something that looks and feels much closer to production. Three key steps made that happen:

  1. Sealing secrets so I could finally commit them to Git safely.
  2. Adding GitHub authentication with Dex, making the Argo CD UI open (read-only) to anyone with a GitHub account.
  3. Expanding the cluster with a proper worker node — and replacing my ill-fated “master as NAT” shortcut with OCI’s managed NAT Gateway.

Autobot master cloned a worker self to prepare for the upcoming battle.

The DevOps Odyssey, Part 3: GitOps on K3s with Argo CD — Self-Managing Infrastructure from a Single Commit

originally posted at LinkedIn at July 31, 2025

In Part 1, we bootstrapped a zero-click deployment pipeline on OCI using Terraform, Ansible, and Docker Compose — complete with HTTPS, DNS, and CI/CD.

Part 2 evolved that foundation into a Kubernetes-native architecture, replacing Docker with K3s. That gave us a declarative control plane and a better foundation for future growth — without sacrificing simplicity or resource constraints.

Now, in Part 3, we finally bring in GitOps: managing the entire cluster from a Git repository using Argo CD. This marks the transition from automation to self-reconciliation — and sets the stage for horizontal scaling and federated identity in the next phase.

Automation bots have evolved. What’s next?

The DevOps Odyssey Continues: Evolving from Docker to K3s with Ansible

originally posted at LinkedIn at July 25, 2025

In Part 1, I turned an OCI Free Tier VM into a fully automated, HTTPS-secured Docker host using Terraform, Ansible, Traefik, and GitHub Actions. That stack was great for monoliths or simple containers.

But containers want orchestration. And I want GitOps.

So this phase of the odyssey shifts gears: replacing Docker Compose with K3s — a lightweight Kubernetes distribution that fits beautifully in constrained environments like OCI free tier.

The goal? A production-grade Kubernetes control plane, fully bootstrapped with Ansible, ready for GitOps.

Automation bots have evolved. What’s next?

The DevOps Odyssey: Fully Automating OCI App Deployment with Terraform, Ansible, and Docker

Introduction: The Engineer's Drive for Automation

As a DevOps engineer, I thrive on full‑stack automation—turning repetitive, error‑prone deployments into push‑button, ultra‑reliable workflows.
I recently challenged myself to get Job Winner, an opensource full‑stack app (Spring Boot + React), live on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) in less than 15 minutes from a cold start.
But the real goal wasn't speed alone—it was idempotence: every run of the pipeline should converge the system to the exact same, secure, HTTPS‑enabled state without manual touch‑points.

OCI, Terraform, Ansible