learning in public · uk

Figuring out cloud-native and security — out loud.

I'm an engineer working my way from fundamentals to a DevSecOps career. Everything I learn lands here as notes, homelab experiments, and honest write-ups — including the stuff that didn't work the first time.

now

/now — April 2026

  • Studying for the CKA — targeting this quarter
  • Building a bare-metal kubeadm homelab, Ansible-provisioned
  • Working through a bottom-up Linux networking series (netns → iptables → VXLAN)
  • Next up after CKA: CKS, then AWS SAA

This page updates roughly monthly. Inspired by Derek Sivers' /now page idea.

about

I'm Alex — UK-based, working through a deliberate two-year plan to move into DevSecOps. The focus: Kubernetes, AWS, and the security layer that sits across both.

My approach is simple: rebuild things from first principles, homelab everything, and write about what surprised me. I'd rather post a rough note I actually understand than a polished article I half-copied.

Not a badge collection — each cert comes with a public project that proves I actually use the material.

building

Small, focused homelab projects — Kubernetes, AWS, networks, telephony, security. Each one is something I built, broke, and explained on video.

See all projects →

certifications

Currently studying

CKA Certified Kubernetes Administrator

Planned

CKS Kubernetes Security AWS SAA Solutions Architect Associate AWS Security Specialty Terraform Associate HTB CPTS Hack The Box · Penetration Testing Specialist OSCP OffSec Certified Professional

contact

Happy to hear from other engineers learning the same things, people working in DevSecOps who'd share a coffee/call, or anyone who spots something wrong in a post. Freelance enquiries: see consulting.