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 π
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello, fellow server dweller π Ivan's here with the traditional roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side π§ What I was working on There were quite a few things on both the content and feature sides! Challenge Solutions π Starting with the most exciting one... It's been postponed for way too long, but I finally added a Solution tab to the challenge page. If you get stuck with a problem or want to learn an alternative solution, it's now just one click away (for ~a...
Building Container Images Like a Pro
Building container images can be both an easy and a hard problem. Building just an image is usually as straightforward as replicating your local app build steps in a Dockerfileβs RUN instructions. Building a small, maintainable, and secure image, on the other hand, may involve lots of considerations, elaborate techniques, and domain knowledge. To help you become a true container image build master, I prepared a learning path that starts with creating and pushing your very first container...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello, fellow server dweller π Ivan's here with the last Server Side roundup of the year! What I was working on Since my previous update about two weeks ago, when I announced twice bigger playgrounds and a declarative way to create custom playgrounds via labctl, I managed to ship one more (larger) feature and prepare a new batch of DevOps challenges, thanks to the GenAI holiday season π Tasks Dev Tools If you have tried authoring a challenge or tutorial or creating a custom playground on...
iximiuz Labs Update: More and Better Playgrounds and New DevOps Challenges
Hey, fellow server dweller π Ivan here with an exciting iximiuz Labs update! The month isn't over yet, so it's not quite time for the traditional monthly roundup. However, there have been so many updates on the platform in the past couple of weeks that they couldn't possibly fit into a single email. So, let's dive in π Backend Revamp: Faster, Smarter, Stronger Over the past few weeks, I rolled out a significant backend rewrite at iximiuz Labs, and I couldn't be more excited to share the...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello π Ivan's here with November's roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side π§ What I was working on This month was (extremely) development-heavy. Two-thirds of it went into the implementation of custom playground machinery and a new Kubernetes "Omni" playground, and in the last part, I was unexpectedly busy with expanding the platform's capacity and launching a new server in India π The latter became possible thanks to the support of all of you who got the premium...
Create Your Own Server Playgrounds (and Black Friday deal)
Hello, fellow server dweller π I've got two exciting announcements to make. Starting with the shorter one, this year, I decided to give Black Friday a try. This is an experiment - iximiuz Labs hasn't done sales before and won't have any in the foreseeable future, at least not until next November. So, if you wanted to get a premium membership but the price felt too high, this is your rare chance to get it with a 50% discount. The offer is limited to exactly one week. Now, to the second, much...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello π It's this time of the month again! My traditional roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side, delivered straight into your inbox π¬ What I was working on October was very productive for me - I shipped no major iximiuz Labs features (it's always hard to resist the temptation!) and instead dedicated all my available time to content work. The main focus was on Container Images. It's the subject of the first module of my "panoramic" Docker course, and it is almost...
Help! My Node.js Docker Image Has Python π β Uncovering the Right Base Image for Your Node.js App
Hey there, Iβve just finished putting together everything I know about Node.js container images and figured you might find the write-up useful. If youβre working with Node.js in Docker, chances are youβve been hit by the dilemma of which base image to use. Do you go for the default node:latest, the slimmer node:22-slim, or something super minimal like a distroless image? What about Bitnamiβs alternative β how does it stack up? Before you jump headfirst into your next build, you might want to...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello π Ivan's here with a slightly delayed September roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side π§ What I was working on This month, I worked on an assorted set of topics. Skill Paths First off, the skill paths! I finally finished the underlying machinery, and now iximiuz Labs supports a new type of content - short roadmaps that you can use to develop or improve a specific skill: how to debug distroless containers, how to copy images from one repository to another,...
Ivan on the Server Side
Hello friends! Ivan's here with another monthly roundup of all things Linux, Containers, Kubernetes, and Server Side π§ The issue's main topic is iximiuz Labs' largest-ever upgrade: Fresher and more streamlined look of the frontend UI π A new 5.10 Linux kernel built with nftables support (finally, we can try out kube-proxy's nftables mode). New default playground user - laborant (yep, rootless containers learning for). New playgrounds: Ubuntu 24.04, Debian Trixie, Fedora, and Incus (yay! more...
A satellite project of labs.iximiuz.com - an indie learning platform to master Linux, Containers, and Kubernetes the hands-on way π