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

How not to host your React app on a supercomputer

Downsizing your cloud service like a savvy Brit

Right, kettle on, crumpets in the toaster, a client with a static React app as basic as a cuppa. Just HTML, CSS, and enough JavaScript to animate a loading spinner. Yet, somehow, they are convinced to deploy this digital daisy to the world of Kubernetes cluster with enough power to launch a SpaceX rocket… yep, just another day in the life of a b... Read more 12 Jan 2024 by Alan Tai