Because it matters
Making things happen, making things right, because it matters.
The part of IoT projects nobody talks about
Imagine having a single portal to control every ESP32 device in your home — a unified way to manage all the custom gadgets you’ve built. This was the unexpected result of my journey. My goal wasn’t to build a general framework; I simply wanted to create devices. But after the second ESP32 project, a pattern emerged. Not in the hardware, but in ... Read more 05 Jan 2026 by Alan Tai
Rethinking vendor lock-in
Vendor lock-in. The phrase itself conjures images of being trapped, handcuffed to a costly contract, unable to escape the clutches of a greedy vendor. It’s the boogeyman whispered in hushed tones in architecture review meetings. We’re taught from the beginning of our careers to avoid it at all costs, to maintain maximum optionality, and to build... Read more 31 Jan 2025 by Alan Tai
Kubernetes: A powerful tool, but not always the right one
Kubernetes - the name echoes through the halls of discussions on modern software architecture. It’s become synonymous with scalability, resilience, and modernisation. It’s a powerful tool, no doubt, and a de facto standard in many backend systems. But like any powerful tool, it’s crucial to understand its purpose and, more importantly, its limit... Read more 31 Jan 2025 by Alan Tai
Securing CI/CD pipelines with OIDC, GitHub Actions, and Terraform
In regulated industries, where trust is paramount, the security of CI/CD pipelines is a non-negotiable priority. Breaches within these pipelines can expose sensitive customer data and disrupt critical services, leading to devastating consequences. Traditional methods of storing long-lived credentials directly within the pipeline configuration cr... Read more 08 May 2024 by Alan Tai
The Road Unmapped: Why Aspiring Full-Stack Engineers Should Forge Their Own Path
The siren song of the full-stack developer beckons many, promising versatility, independence, and mastery of the digital landscape. These well-intentioned roadmaps, while offering a comforting illusion of certainty and efficiency, risk obscuring the true essence of full-stack mastery and leaving aspiring engineers feeling overwhelmed and uninspi... Read more 23 Jan 2024 by Alan Tai