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Welcome to another edition of Walt’s Weekly, where we venture into the depths of tech and emerge with golden nuggets of wisdom (and maybe a few lines of legacy code).

This Week’s Quest: Rediscovering My Developer Soul

You know that moment when you’re so deep in a coding trance that you almost forget your own name? Yeah, I’ve been there. This week was all about reconnecting with the ‘why’ behind my code. It’s been quite the journey of self-discovery, sprinkled with a healthy dose of “Aha!” moments and a few facepalms.

The Developer’s Dilemma: To Post or Not to Post?

I’ve noticed something interesting in our digital wilderness: developers who consistently share their work seem to have a secret map to success. It’s got me pondering how to infuse more of my personality into my content while still having a blast. After all, isn’t that what this crazy tech adventure is all about?

Lessons from the Digital Trenches

1. Quality Over Quantity: We posted less this week, but our engagement skyrocketed. Sometimes, less really is more. It’s like refactoring your code – fewer lines, more impact.
2. Authenticity Matters: I’m on a mission to sound less like a technical manual and more like, well, me. Turns out, people connect with humans, not robots (unless you’re building an AI, then by all means, beep away).
3. Keep Showing Up: I know, I sound like a broken record (or a loop without an exit condition), but it’s true. If you’re still here, reading this, you’re already ahead of the game. Persistence is your superpower.

SpellCarver Chronicles: Automating Magic in the Cloud

Remember SpellCarver, our mystical project? Well, it’s back in the spotlight:

• Made some crucial design choices (turns out, “making it work” and “making it scalable” are two different spells)
• Got a helping hand from fellow devs (because even wizards need a coven)
• Wrestled with setting up secure pipelines (because nobody likes a leaky cauldron of code)

Growing Pains and Gains

Expanding the media team has been like trying to scale a monolith – challenging but rewarding:

• Experimenting with new content types (because comfort zones are where innovation goes to nap)
• Making time for wild, out-there posts (some work, some make us question our life choices)
• Decoding the enigma that is LinkedIn (if you’ve cracked it, please send help – or at least a detailed API doc)

The Platform Engineer’s Playbook

Alright, infrastructure wizards, gather ‘round! This week, we’re diving into some serious cloud optimization magic. Get ready to save some coin, streamline your access, and wrangle Java like a pro.

1. AWS Reserve Instance Management: The Money-Saving Spell

Let’s face it, we all love AWS, but nobody loves unexpected bills. Here’s how to keep your cloud costs in check:

• Analyze Your Usage: Use AWS Cost Explorer to identify your steady-state EC2 usage. Look for patterns – those consistent workloads are prime candidates for Reserved Instances (RIs).
• Mix and Match: Don’t go all-in on 3-year commitments. Use a mix of 1-year and 3-year RIs to balance savings with flexibility.
• Convertible RIs: For workloads that might change, consider Convertible RIs. They’re slightly more expensive but offer the flexibility to change instance types.
• The RI Marketplace: Here’s where it gets interesting. If you find yourself with excess capacity, you can sell your unused RI time on the AWS RI Marketplace. It’s like a yard sale for your unused cloud resources!
• Set Up Alerts: Use AWS Budgets to set up alerts when your RI utilization drops below a certain threshold. This way, you’ll know when it’s time to readjust or sell.

Pro Tip: Remember, the key to RI management is regular review. Set a calendar reminder to check your RI usage and marketplace opportunities quarterly.

2. AWS SSO with Terraform: One Login to Rule Them All

Setting up AWS SSO with Terraform is like creating a master key for your AWS kingdom. Here’s a high-level guide to get you started:

1. Prerequisite: Ensure you have an AWS Organizations account set up.
2. Configure AWS SSO: In your Terraform config, use the aws_ssoadmin_instance resource to enable AWS SSO.
3. Create Permission Sets: Define permission sets using aws_ssoadmin_permission_set. These are like role templates you’ll assign to users.
4. Set Up Identity Source: Configure your identity provider (like Azure AD or Okta) using aws_ssoadmin_managed_policy_attachment.
5. Create Assignments: Use aws_ssoadmin_account_assignment to link users or groups to permission sets and AWS accounts.
6. Apply and Verify: Run terraform apply, then log into the AWS SSO portal to verify your setup.

Why bother? Imagine never having to manage individual IAM users across multiple accounts again. One central place to control access, one login for users, and way fewer “I forgot my password” tickets. It’s a win-win!

3. Managing Maven with Tekton: Java CI/CD Magic

Who says Java can’t be agile? Here’s how to streamline your Java builds with Tekton:

1. Create a Tekton Pipeline: Define a pipeline that includes tasks for pulling your code, building with Maven, and deploying.
2. Maven Task: Create a Task that runs Maven commands. Here’s the secret sauce:
   • Use a Maven container image in your Task definition.
   • Mount a persistent volume for the Maven local repository to speed up subsequent builds.
3. Caching is Key: Use Tekton’s built-in caching to store Maven dependencies. This can dramatically speed up your builds.
4. Parameterize: Make your pipeline flexible by parameterizing things like Java version and Maven goals.
5. Integration: Integrate with your SCM (e.g., GitHub) using Tekton Triggers to automatically kick off builds on new commits.

The beauty of this setup? Your Java projects get the benefits of modern CI/CD practices without sacrificing the stability and ecosystem of Maven. It’s like teaching an old dog cool new tricks!

Remember, whether you’re optimizing costs, streamlining access, or modernizing Java workflows, the goal is to make your life easier and your systems more efficient. Keep experimenting, keep learning, and don’t forget to share your wins (and spectacular failures) with the community!

The Balancing Act

Here’s a personal tidbit: I’ve struggled with balance my whole life. But here’s the plot twist – for me, doing what I love is balance. More often than not, that means doing A LOT of a few things I’m passionate about, rather than a little of everything.

This Week’s Pro Tip: Back to Basics

I’m going old school this week – pen and paper, instead of yet another productivity app! Writing down the big tasks and batching similar ones together. It’s simple, effective, and harder to get sidetracked by notifications. Sometimes, the best tech is no tech at all.

This RPG Called Life

Understanding your own data and trends is everything in progressing in this RPG we call life. When you compare yourself to everyone else, it’s like trying to debug someone else’s spaghetti code – confusing and often counterproductive. But when you compare yourself to yourself last week? That’s where the real progress shines.

A Call to Adventure

Ready to level up your DevOps skills? The CloudMasons community is calling! We’ve fleshed out the DevOps curriculum, and the adventure continues. Join us at https://www.skool.com/cloudmasons/about and let’s conquer the cloud together!

Remember, whether you’re slinging code or configuring clouds, you’re crafting your own unique path. Keep building, keep learning, and most importantly, keep being unapologetically you.

Until next week, may your code be clean, your deployments smooth, and your coffee strong!

Walt

P.S. What’s been your biggest “Aha!” moment in tech lately? – I love a good epiphany story!