Digest #198: Kubernetes Security, Scaling Postgres at OpenAI and AI in Infra-as-Code
Scaling PostgreSQL to millions of users, new attack paths via GitHub Actions runners, Docker’s shifting role, and why some teams are ditching Redis for Postgres. Open-source tools worth trying.
Welcome to this week’s edition of the DevOps Bulletin.
We’re kicking off with AI and Infrastructure-as-Code. IaCConf Spotlight on January 28 brings engineers together to share how they’re using AI in IaC safely and pragmatically, from AI-assisted workflows to better module adoption and team collaboration. In the news, we look at how OpenAI scaled PostgreSQL to support 800 million ChatGPT users, why self-hosted GitHub Actions runners are becoming a new attacker backdoor, and what Docker has quietly turned into over the years. We also cover why some teams are replacing Redis with PostgreSQL (and getting better performance).
On the hands-on side: unconventional ways to speed up PostgreSQL queries, a solid Terraform + GitHub Actions pipeline for multi-environment deployments, a deep dive into attacking and defending Kubernetes, and practical techniques for processing tens of millions of rows without waiting hours. We also look at building agents with the GitHub Copilot SDK, best practices for coding with AI agents, and safer ways to manage secrets locally.
This week's video goes deep into Kubernetes internals. This hands-on course walks through building a real-world Kubernetes Operator from scratch.
Open-source picks this week include Turso, a modern SQLite-compatible in-process database; Terratest, a Go toolkit for testing Terraform and cloud infrastructure; pgschema, a Terraform-style CLI for Postgres schema migrations; a VS Code editor that masks .env secrets by default; and promptfoo, a local-first CLI for testing, red-teaming, and securing LLM apps.
All this and more in this week’s DevOps Bulletin, don’t miss out!
IaCConf Spotlight: AI in IaC
Hear from engineers how they’re applying AI to infrastructure safely and pragmatically, from AI-assisted IaC to improving module adoption and team workflows at IaCConf Spotlight on January 28. Register now.
Newsworthy stories
Tutorials of the week
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Videos of the week
Projects of the week
A SQLite-compatible in-process database, pushing SQLite forward with async I O, vectors, and modern internals.
A Go testing toolkit that turns Terraform, Packer, Kubernetes, and cloud setups into repeatable automated tests.
A Terraform-style CLI for declarative Postgres schema migrations, plan, diff, and apply with confidence.
A VSCode plugin that safely edits .env files by masking secrets by default while keeping local, inline control.
A local first CLI for evaluating, red teaming, and securing LLM apps with repeatable tests and CI-friendly reports.
Meme of the week
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