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Hands-On Labs

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Put your platform engineering knowledge into practice with these comprehensive, real-world labs. Each lab is designed to simulate actual scenarios you'll encounter in platform engineering roles.

Lab Categories​

🚀 Getting Started Labs​

Perfect for beginners to get hands-on experience:

  • Lab 1: Set up a local Kubernetes cluster
  • Lab 2: Deploy your first microservice
  • Lab 3: Implement basic monitoring
  • Lab 4: Create a CI/CD pipeline

☁️ Cloud Platform Labs​

Master the major cloud providers:

  • AWS Labs: VPC setup, EKS deployment, Lambda functions
  • GCP Labs: GKE clusters, Cloud Run, Pub/Sub messaging
  • Azure Labs: AKS deployment, Functions, Service Bus

🔧 Infrastructure as Code Labs​

Build reproducible infrastructure:

  • Terraform Labs: Multi-region deployments, module creation
  • Ansible Labs: Configuration management, playbook development
  • CloudFormation Labs: Stack creation, nested stacks

🎯 Kubernetes Deep Dive Labs​

Advanced container orchestration:

  • Lab A: Build a custom operator
  • Lab B: Implement auto-scaling policies
  • Lab C: Set up service mesh with Istio
  • Lab D: GitOps with ArgoCD

📊 Observability Labs​

Monitor and troubleshoot effectively:

  • Prometheus Lab: Custom metrics and alerts
  • Grafana Lab: Dashboard creation
  • ELK Stack Lab: Log aggregation pipeline
  • Distributed Tracing Lab: Jaeger implementation

🔐 Security Labs​

Secure your platform:

  • Lab X: Implement RBAC in Kubernetes
  • Lab Y: Set up mutual TLS
  • Lab Z: Secrets management with Vault

Lab Structure​

Each lab includes:

  • Prerequisites: Required knowledge and tools
  • Learning Objectives: What you'll achieve
  • Step-by-Step Instructions: Detailed walkthrough
  • Troubleshooting Guide: Common issues and solutions
  • Challenge Extensions: Advanced scenarios

Environment Setup​

Local Development​

  • Docker Desktop or Minikube
  • VS Code with relevant extensions
  • Cloud provider CLI tools
  • Terraform and Ansible

Cloud Sandboxes​

  • AWS Free Tier account
  • GCP $300 credit
  • Azure free account
  • Time-limited sandbox environments

Assessment and Validation​

Each lab includes:

  • Validation scripts to check your work
  • Expected outcomes and screenshots
  • Performance benchmarks
  • Best practices checklist

Interview Prep Labs​

Special labs designed for interview scenarios:

  • Timed Challenges: Complete tasks under pressure
  • Debugging Scenarios: Fix broken systems
  • Design Implementation: Build from requirements
  • Live Coding Practice: Screen-sharing simulations

Ready to get your hands dirty? Pick a lab and start building!