DevOps Q&A: GitOps Tools, Backstage Setup, and Platform Engineering

In this AMA livestream, Viktor and Scott dive into a wide range of DevOps and platform engineering topics submitted by viewers. The discussion covers practical guidance on Kubernetes networking, including recommendations to migrate from the soon-to-be-discontinued Ingress NGINX to Gateway API for improved flexibility and throughput management. They explore fleet management strategies for organizations running 40+ clusters, suggesting combinations of Flux, Crossplane, and dedicated fleet management tools.

The hosts share insights on implementing Backstage as an internal developer portal, emphasizing the importance of auto-ingesting resources, using tech insight scorecards to gamify adoption, and adapting organizations to tools rather than the reverse. They also discuss MCP (Model Context Protocol) gateways, highlighting the need for better authentication and tool selection capabilities. Other topics include ephemeral development environments, the differences between Tekton and Argo CD, Cilium deployment best practices, and using Crossplane for on-premises infrastructure. Throughout the session, Viktor and Scott stress the importance of using AI for non-repeatable tasks while relying on automation for predictable workflows.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Sponsor: Octopus
🔗 Enterprise Support for Argo: https://octopus.com/support/enterpris...
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

▬▬▬▬▬▬ 👋 Contact me 👋 ▬▬▬▬▬▬
➡ BlueSky: https://vfarcic.bsky.social
➡ LinkedIn:   / viktorfarcic  

▬▬▬▬▬▬ 🚀 Other Channels 🚀 ▬▬▬▬▬▬
🎤 Podcast: https://www.devopsparadox.com/
💬 Live streams:    / devopsparadox  

▬▬▬▬▬▬ ⏱ Timecodes ⏱ ▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:00 Intro (skip to first question)
06:52 Best way to compare policies using AI?
09:44 Different ingress controllers for streaming vs API calls?
12:31 Fleet management approach for 40+ clusters with Flux/Crossplane?
15:00 Tips for implementing Backstage for software inventory and governance?
18:55 Buffering concerns with multipart uploads on NGINX ingress
23:07 Good MCP gateway recommendations for multiple MCP servers?
26:36 Thoughts on Flux Uncontained?
27:47 Deploy Cilium via Argo CD or before cluster creation?
28:46 Is standardizing components a priority for building an IDP?
32:47 Is Crossplane worth using for on-prem infrastructure?
36:20 Any trends or ideas from KubeCon?
43:07 Public repo for Backstage Crossplane workshop?
44:14 Advice on mapping org structure to Backstage data model?
50:08 Best practices for adapting to tools vs adapting tools to you
55:37 Is Flox a viable container alternative?
58:05 Thoughts on ephemeral environments and DevPod for IDP?
1:02:24 Difference between Argo CD and Tekton - when to use each?
1:05:25 Integrating Backstage with GitOps across multiple repos?