Kubernetes Learning Path

Homelab cluster built for learning Kubernetes and showcasing skills to employers.

Progress Overview

Overall: 10/28 tasks completed (36%)

#	Task	Description	Guide
0.1	Set up k3s cluster	4-node cluster: 1 control-plane + 3 worker agents on VMware Workstation	—
0.2	Bootstrap Argo CD	Install via Kustomize from `bootstrap/argocd/`	phase-0-argocd-setup
0.3	Deploy Online Boutique	Google’s microservices demo (12 services) via Kustomize base + overlay	phase-0-argocd-setup
0.4	App of Apps pattern	Root Application discovers child Applications for GitOps scalability	phase-0-argocd-setup
0.5	Traefik Ingress setup	Host-based routing for boutique and Argo CD UI	phase-0-argocd-setup
0.6	Argo CD TLS workaround	IngressRoute + ServersTransport for HTTPS backends	phase-0-argocd-setup
0.7	Project structure	Clean `bootstrap/`, `apps/`, `infrastructure/` layout	phase-0-argocd-setup

#	Task	Why It Matters	Guide
1.1	Deploy Prometheus + Grafana monitoring stack	Most requested K8s skill; demonstrates metrics collection and dashboarding	phase-1-observability
1.2	Deploy Loki for centralized logging	Shows log aggregation across microservices	phase-1-observability
1.3	Create Grafana dashboards for Online Boutique	Visual proof of monitoring competency for interviews	phase-1-observability

Completed: Reduced resource usage from ~1.18Gi to ~0.56Gi for homelab. Fixed sync issues with Argo CD.

#	Task	Why It Matters	Status
2.1	Implement Pod Security Standards (Restricted) on boutique namespace	Shows security-first mindset	Pending
2.2	Create RBAC roles and ServiceAccounts per microservice	Core K8s security concept employers test	Pending
2.3	Implement Network Policies to restrict inter-service traffic	Demonstrates zero-trust networking	Pending
2.4	Set up Secrets management (External Secrets or Sealed Secrets)	Real-world secrets handling	Pending

#	Task	Why It Matters	Status
3.1	Configure HPA on frontend and resource-intensive services	Autoscaling is a key K8s feature	Pending
3.2	Create PodDisruptionBudgets for critical services	Shows production readiness awareness	Pending
3.3	Load test frontend and observe HPA in action	Practical demonstration of scaling	Pending

#	Task	Why It Matters	Status
4.1	Deploy a stateful app (Redis with persistence or PostgreSQL)	Stateful workloads are common in real jobs	Pending
4.2	Create StorageClass and demonstrate PV/PVC lifecycle	Storage fundamentals	Pending

#	Task	Why It Matters	Status
5.1	Explore CoreDNS and service discovery	Understanding K8s networking internals	Pending
5.2	Deploy a second app with ingress routing (path-based or host-based)	Multi-tenant ingress patterns	Pending

#	Task	Why It Matters	Status
6.1	Add Helm-based app to Argo CD	Helm is industry standard	Pending
6.2	Implement Argo CD ApplicationSet for multi-env (dev/staging)	Shows advanced Argo CD patterns	Pending
6.3	Configure Argo CD notifications (Slack/webhook)	CI/CD integration maturity	Pending

#	Task	Why It Matters	Status
7.1	Simulate pod failures and practice recovery	Troubleshooting is tested in interviews	Pending
7.2	Practice OOMKilled, CrashLoopBackOff, ImagePullBackOff debugging	Common failure modes	Pending
7.3	Simulate node failure and observe pod rescheduling	Resilience and scheduling concepts	Pending

Related: Troubleshooting & Fixes for real issues encountered

#	Task	Why It Matters	Status
8.1	Document all phases in `docs/` for portfolio	Showcase your work to employers	Pending