Reading · Cloud Native Engineer

Welcome to Cloud Native Engineer, where we explore the tools, patterns, and practices that power modern cloud-native systems.

This newsletter is for software engineers, platform engineers, and DevOps practitioners who want to:

Master Kubernetes and container orchestration
Design scalable systems that can grow with your users
Implement observability to understand what’s happening in production
Discover modern tools and DevOps practices that make your life easier

Whether you’re preparing for the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam, designing your first microservices architecture, or optimizing your deployment pipeline, you’ll find practical, hands-on content here.

I’m Giuseppe Santoro, a Platform Engineer at Loveholidays based in London, with over 12 years of experience in cloud infrastructure and platform engineering. I’ve worked with companies like Elastic and PlayStation, specializing in high-scale distributed systems, Kubernetes, and cloud-native technologies.

I hold a Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) credential and focus on system design, DevOps practices, and making complex topics accessible.

My mission is to guide engineers through modern system design and cloud-native engineering with hands-on technical expertise and real-world industry insights.

Through this newsletter, I share lessons learned, tools I’ve discovered, and techniques that have made me more productive as an engineer.

I offer one-on-one mentoring on system design, Kubernetes, and cloud-native architecture. Whether you’re preparing for system design interviews, building your startup’s infrastructure, or looking to optimize your cloud deployment, I’m here to help guide you through the challenges.

Book a mentoring session →

These are the most-read articles across the entire newsletter, handpicked based on views and reader engagement:

Taskfile: a modern alternative to Makefile (DevOps & Tooling) - 13,404 views
Modern approach to task automation with Taskfile as a user-friendly alternative to Makefile.
How to publish a post with the LinkedIn API (DevOps & Tooling) - 3,407 views
Automate posting on LinkedIn by using their API. Learn about OAuth2.0 access tokens and Open Graph meta tags.
How to deploy Fleet and Elastic Agent on Elastic Cloud Kubernetes (Observability) - 1,505 views
Deploy Fleet and Elastic Agent on ECK for centralized management and access to 400+ Elastic integrations.
Dev environment with Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) (Observability) - 1,490 views
Set up a scalable development environment for Elasticsearch using Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes.
Powerful Load Balancing Strategies: Kubernetes Gateway API (System Design) - 1,293 views
From ClusterIP to Ingress and Gateway API. Discover the most common strategies to load balance services in Kubernetes with practical examples using Traefik and K3d.
Maximise Your Productivity: Harness Hot Reloading in Kubernetes (Kubernetes & Containers) - 1,207 views
Accelerating Kubernetes development workflows with Tilt and hot reloading for near-instantaneous feedback loops.
From Zero to K8s Hero: 5 Must-Have Tools for Kubernetes (Kubernetes & Containers) - 1,154 views
Essential tools for Kubernetes development and operations, from K9s terminal UI to advanced debugging with node-shell.
Enhancing Software Design with Diagrams as Code (System Design) - 896 views
Create version-controlled, automated architecture diagrams using PlantUML, Mermaid, and Diagrams for AWS, Kubernetes, and system design.

Navigate to content organized by topic:

Developer workstation with multiple monitors displaying Kubernetes dashboard with colorful pod nodes, clusters, and resource allocation charts, terminal showing kubectl commands, and Docker containers illustrated as stacked shipping containers being orchestrated — Kubernetes architecture and container orchestration in action

Master container orchestration with practical guides, exam preparation, and advanced Kubernetes patterns. Learn everything from CKA exam strategies to production-ready deployment techniques.

Go to Kubernetes & Containers →

Software engineer standing on tall ladder in front of enormous whiteboard, confidently sketching sprawling system architecture diagram with boxes, arrows, and interconnected components representing databases, load balancers, and microservices, hand-drawn watercolor with isometric 3D perspective — System architect confidently sketching complex architecture diagrams

Learn the principles and practices behind scalable, resilient systems. From understanding HTTP fundamentals to designing architectures that serve millions of users, these articles cover the architectural foundations of modern applications.

Go to System Design →

Worried SRE in gray-blue NASA baseball cap and rust-brown hoodie seated at enormous control console with hundreds of buttons, switches, and gauges, monitoring dashboards with intense focus, with scenic river landscape and log blockage visible through control room window, hand-drawn watercolor with isometric 3D perspective — SRE monitoring critical systems in a nuclear-plant-style control room

Build systems where you can see what’s happening. Learn how to implement effective logging, structured logging, and log collection strategies to understand and troubleshoot your applications and infrastructure.

Go to Observability →

Engineer in gray-blue NASA baseball cap and rust-brown hoodie seated in front of a towering server rack, carefully sorting through cables with rows of similar racks stretching behind, hand-drawn watercolor with isometric 3D perspective — Engineer problem-solving in a data center

Discover modern tools, automation practices, and development techniques that make your workflows more efficient. From command-line tools to infrastructure automation, learn how to work smarter.

Go to DevOps & Tooling →

A vibrant scene of a diverse team celebrating together with confetti falling, fist bumps, and smiles around a desk with growth charts and milestone markers visible in the background — Community celebration and milestone achievements in Cloud Native Engineer

Behind-the-scenes stories, wrap-ups, and milestone celebrations. These articles share the journey of building Cloud Native Engineer, lessons learned, and gratitude to the community.

Go to Community & Milestones →

Cloud Native Engineer - Table of contents - (Start here)

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