Production EKS Platform with GitLab CI/CD and Istio

Context

Cloud-native workloads needed a reliable Kubernetes platform with private cluster access, standardized deployments, internal traffic routing, and CI/CD workflows that could support frequent releases.

Impact

• Improved developer delivery speed while keeping production access private.
• Standardized Kubernetes deployment, ingress, and observability patterns.
• Strengthened day-2 operations for production EKS workloads.

Architecture approach

• Operated private EKS platform components for production workloads and internal delivery workflows.
• Ran GitLab runners inside Kubernetes to support private deployment paths and controlled AWS access.
• Used Istio Gateways and EnvoyFilters for internal traffic management and service communication.
• Integrated ALB/NLB, TLS, ingress, and private DNS patterns for service exposure.
• Established observability and troubleshooting patterns for cluster and workload reliability.

What I did

• Built and maintained EKS platform components for production workloads, including ingress, private access, observability, and deployment automation.
• Implemented GitLab runners running inside Kubernetes environments with secure AWS access patterns.
• Designed internal service communication with Istio Gateways, EnvoyFilters, ALB/NLB integrations, TLS, and private DNS strategies.
• Supported zero-downtime deployment workflows, cluster troubleshooting, and platform reliability improvements.

Outcomes

• Improved developer delivery speed while keeping production access private and controlled.
• Increased confidence in Kubernetes releases through standardized deployment and observability patterns.
• Strengthened day-2 operations for production EKS workloads.

Tech stack

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