Ivan on the Server Side
A satellite project of labs.iximiuz.com - an indie learning platform to master Linux, Containers, and Kubernetes the hands-on way 🚀
Deep Dive: Exploring Docker "run" and "exec" Commands
According to StackOverflow's 2025 Developer Survey, there has never been a better time to learn how to use containers or become a Docker power user. For me, it's a perfect motivation booster to double down on the Docker Roadmap and bring you the best hands-on learning materials and the deepest possible technical dives. In today's issue, we'll explore what docker run and docker exec really do by looking at how they're implemented. This understanding will make it easier for you to remember the...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello, fellow server dweller! Ivan's here with a monthly roundup of Docker, Kubernetes, and... astrophysics learning materials 📚 What I was working on While the Playgrounds 2.0 code is roasting in production (and bugs are being ironed out), I'm happy to use the pause in the platform's development to work on my Hands-On Docker Roadmap: This month, I completely reworked two of the original Docker 101 challenges, making them use more realistic scenarios: Docker 101: Run Your First Containers...
Split view, quick constructor UI, and coding agents come to iximiuz Labs playgrounds 🚀
Hello 👋 I've shipped a few features that make the iximiuz Labs playgrounds even more powerful, and I'm eager to share the news with you. Terminal Split View This is something I've wanted to have for way too long. Before this release, you could achieve a comparable behavior with tmux or within the IDE tab, but it's so much handier to have it supported "natively". Just check out this short demo: The split view also works great in challenges, especially when you need to deal with a multi-VM...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello there! It's Ivan, with a slightly overdue June's roundup of all things server-side craft 🧙 What I was working on The better part of the month went into finalizing and then releasing Playgrounds 2.0. It was the topic of the mid-month issue, so you likely already saw it, but I also decided to publish a proper write-up (on my good old blog) featuring the new iximiuz Labs capabilities and the most interesting implementation details. Check out Server-Side Playgrounds Reimagined: Build, Boot,...
iximiuz Labs Playgrounds 2.0: Dive In
Hello! I'm happy to share the promised post on how to create and use iximiuz Labs Playgrounds 2.0. Here is what's covered: Quick recap: Remote playgrounds - what are they, really? How VMs are constructed by mixing the rootfs and the kernel How to run custom playgrounds with simple YAML manifests How to bake and use custom VM rootfs images How to create multi-network playgrounds Why you should start creating Linux playgrounds today But before we dive in, one final reminder: this is the last...
iximiuz Labs Playgrounds 2.0
Hello there 👋 It's Ivan, with a double portion of good news! After more than a month of being head-down with the backend redesign, I shipped an almost complete system overhaul that brought the expressive power of iximiuz Labs playgrounds to a totally different level. Here is what's now possible: Playgrounds with arbitrary sets of machines Playgrounds with multiple networks VMs with multiple drives and filesystems (ext4, xfs, btrfs) "Bring your own VM rootfs" and host it as a regular container...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello there 👋 It's Ivan, and it's the end of the month again - time truly flies! Warning: Unusual newsletter issue As you probably noticed, I haven't published (m)any new learning materials in almost two months now. This is because I was head-down extending the platform's content authoring capabilities and enabling its use by trainers and university instructors. And it's been going rather well! Every content catalog on iximiuz Labs now has a new "community" section, and almost every day, a...
iximiuz Labs For Trainers is out 🎉
Hello, fellow server dweller! I've got some great news - after more than a year of consideration, several months of gathering requirements, and many weeks of coding, I'm thrilled to present you with iximiuz Labs for Trainers, a shiny new capability on my indie learning-by-doing platform. In case you were wondering why I haven't posted a single piece of content in more than two months, now you know 🙈 What's inside The "trainer" use case is not new for iximiuz Labs. It's something that evolved...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello there 👋 It's Ivan, and it's the end of the month, so you guessed it right - it's time for the traditional monthly roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side! The main topic of this issue is... iximiuz Labs for Creators, a shiny new capability I shipped just a couple of days ago. What I was working on Many people have asked me about the possibility of publishing tutorials, challenges, or even courses on iximiuz Labs. While I wasn't against this idea (and...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hey 👋 It's Ivan again, with the slightly overdue February roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side - and I've got some great news! 🚀 What I was working on I've been periodically bringing up my Byte-Sized Docker course for more than a year now. However, the work hasn't progressed fast enough - mainly because I wasn't satisfied with the format. Creating yet another "Here is how to run a container and here is how to build an image" kind of course just didn't sound...
A satellite project of labs.iximiuz.com - an indie learning platform to master Linux, Containers, and Kubernetes the hands-on way 🚀