🎓 Full-Stack DevOps Mastery: From Docker to Kubernetes
A 12-week, project-based course where you build "DeployMart" — a real production e-commerce platform
🧠 Learning Philosophy
"Don't just read about containers — build a platform that serves real traffic."
Every module follows this pattern:
- 🎯 What — What you'll build
- 💡 Why — Why it matters in production
- 🧩 Analogy — Real-world comparison for easy understanding
- 🔨 Syntax — The actual code/config
- 🌍 Real-World — How Stripe/Netflix/Vercel uses this
- ❌ Mistakes — What beginners get wrong
- ✅ Best Practices — Production checklist
- 🎓 Checkpoint — Quiz/lab to verify understanding
- 🏗️ Mini Project — Build something tangible
🛤️ Three Learning Tracks
| Track | Weeks | Level | What You Build | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏗️ Docker Foundations | 1-4 | Beginner | DeployMart v1.0 on single server | Run multi-container apps locally |
| ⚡ Production Deploy | 5-8 | Intermediate | DeployMart v2.0 with SSL + Security | Production-ready Docker Compose |
| 🎯 Kubernetes Scale | 9-12 | Advanced | DeployMart v3.0 on K8s cluster | Enterprise-grade orchestration |
Track 1: 🏗️ Docker Foundations (Weeks 1-4)
Module 1: Docker for Web Developers
🎯 What You'll Build: Your first containerized "Hello World" app
⏱️ Time: 3 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Basic terminal knowledge
💡 Why It Matters: If you can't containerize your app, you can't deploy it consistently. Docker solves the "works on my machine" problem forever.
🧩 Analogy: A Docker container is like a shipping container — it packages your app + everything it needs (OS, libraries, code) so it runs the same everywhere, from your laptop to a server in Tokyo.
🔨 Core Concepts:
- Image vs Container = Recipe vs Cooked Meal
- Dockerfile = The recipe instructions
- Volume = A shared folder between host and container
- Port Mapping = "Forward my laptop's port 8080 to the container's port 80"
🌍 Real-World: Netflix runs 200,000+ containers. Every microservice is containerized.
❌ Common Mistakes:
| Mistake | Why It's Wrong | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Using latest tag | Breaks reproducibility | Pin to nginx:1.25-alpine |
| Running as root | Security vulnerability | Use USER 1000:1000 |
No .dockerignore | Bloated images with node_modules | Add .git, node_modules, .env |
| Dev dependencies in prod | Larger attack surface | Multi-stage builds |
✅ Best Practices:
- Use Alpine or distroless base images
- Layer caching: put
COPY requirements.txtbeforeCOPY . - One process per container (but not always rigid)
- Health checks in every container
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object],
🏗️ Mini Project: Containerize a simple Flask app with Gunicorn
Module 2: Docker Compose — Multi-Container Orchestration
🎯 What You'll Build: App + Database + Cache running together with one command
⏱️ Time: 4 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Module 1
💡 Why It Matters: Real apps need multiple services. You don't want to run docker run 5 times manually.
🧩 Analogy: Docker Compose is like a restaurant manager. Instead of hiring each chef individually (running containers one by one), you give the manager a menu (docker-compose.yml) and they coordinate the kitchen perfectly.
🔨 Key Syntax:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3 ,[object Object], 4 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 5 ,[object Object], 6 ,[object Object], 7 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 8 ,[object Object], 9 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 10 ,[object Object], 11 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 12 13,[object Object], 14 ,[object Object], ,[object Object],
🌍 Real-World: Docker Compose is the #1 tool for local development at companies like Shopify and Slack.
❌ Common Mistakes:
- Hardcoding IPs instead of service names
- Forgetting
depends_on(race conditions) - Using bind mounts for databases (slow + risky)
- Committing
.envfiles with secrets
✅ Best Practices:
- Use
.envfiles +.env.exampletemplates - Separate
docker-compose.yml(dev) anddocker-compose.prod.yml - Always define health checks
- Use
restart: unless-stopped
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
🏗️ Mini Project: Build a Django + PostgreSQL + Redis stack locally
Module 3: Nginx — The Traffic Cop
🎯 What You'll Build: Nginx proxy routing to 2 backend services
⏱️ Time: 4 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Module 2
💡 Why It Matters: You can't run Django on port 80 and Next.js on port 80 at the same time. Nginx solves this with virtual hosts.
🧩 Analogy: Nginx is like a smart receptionist in a building. When someone asks for "Room 301" (api.mydomain.com), they get sent to the API office. When someone asks for "Room 201" (app.mydomain.com), they go to the frontend office. One entrance, many destinations.
🔨 The Big Question: Same Compose or Separate?
| Approach | Same Compose ✅ | Separate Compose ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| Networking | Automatic DNS (django:8000) | Manual linking or external network |
| Deploy | docker compose up -d (one command) | Run 2-3 compose files |
| SSL | One cert for all domains | Duplicate cert management |
| Static Files | Shared volumes | Copy files between containers |
| Best For | Single server, multi-domain | Multi-server, team autonomy |
Verdict: For same server + ports 80/443 + different domains → Same
docker-compose.ymlis correct.
🔨 Nginx Config for Multi-Domain:
1# Nginx talks to containers by SERVICE NAME (Docker DNS magic!) 2upstream django_backend { 3 server django:8000; 4} 5 6upstream nextjs_frontend { 7 server nextjs:3000; 8} 9 10# api.mydomain.com → Django 11server { 12 listen 80; 13 server_name api.mydomain.com; 14 location / { 15 proxy_pass http://django_backend; 16 proxy_set_header Host $host; 17 } 18} 19 20# app.mydomain.com → Next.js 21server { 22 listen 80; 23 server_name app.mydomain.com; 24 location / { 25 proxy_pass http://nextjs_frontend; 26 proxy_set_header Host $host; 27 } 28}
🌍 Real-World: Cloudflare's edge network uses Nginx-like proxies to route 50M+ requests/second.
❌ Common Mistakes:
- Forgetting
proxy_set_header Host(breaks Django CSRF) - No
keepalive(creates new connections per request) - Serving static files through Django (slow!)
- Missing
X-Forwarded-Proto(HTTPS detection fails)
✅ Best Practices:
- Always set forwarding headers
- Use
upstreamblocks for load balancing - Serve static files directly from Nginx
- Enable gzip compression
- Set client body size limits
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
🏗️ Mini Project: Set up Nginx reverse proxy for 2 local services
Module 4: Mini Project — DeployMart v1.0
🎯 What You'll Build: Complete multi-domain app on single server
⏱️ Time: 6 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Modules 1-3
🧩 Analogy: You're building a shopping mall (server) with one main entrance (ports 80/443). Inside, you have a warehouse (Django API) and a showroom (Next.js frontend). The security guard (Nginx) directs visitors to the right place.
🏗️ Architecture:
Internet → Server:80/443 → Nginx Container
├── api.deploymart.local → Django (internal:8000)
├── app.deploymart.local → Next.js (internal:3000)
└── Static files served directly
PostgreSQL Container ←──shared network──→ Redis Container
✅ Success Checklist:
- All services start with
docker compose up -d -
api.localhostshows Django API response -
app.localhostshows Next.js homepage - Static files load correctly
- Database persists after
docker compose down && up - Health checks pass for all services
Track 2: ⚡ Production Deployment (Weeks 5-8)
Module 5: Django in Production — Beyond Dev Mode
🎯 What You'll Build: Production-grade Django container with multi-stage build
⏱️ Time: 5 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Module 4
💡 Why It Matters: python manage.py runserver is for development only. Production needs a real WSGI/ASGI server.
🧩 Analogy: Running Django's dev server in production is like using a toy car on a highway. Gunicorn is the real car — built for speed, multiple lanes (workers), and safety features. Multi-stage Docker is like a factory: one floor builds the parts, another assembles them, and the final floor only keeps what's needed.
🔨 Before vs After:
| ❌ Before (Dev) | ✅ After (Production) |
|---|---|
python manage.py runserver | gunicorn --workers 4 --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 |
| 1GB+ image with gcc, build-essential | 200MB image with only runtime libs |
| Root user inside container | Dedicated django user (UID 1000) |
| No health checks | HTTP health endpoint + Docker healthcheck |
| Secrets in environment | Docker secrets / mounted files |
🔨 Production Dockerfile:
1# STAGE 1: Builder (heavy, has build tools) 2FROM python:3.12-slim AS builder 3WORKDIR /app 4RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y build-essential libpq-dev 5RUN python -m venv /opt/venv 6ENV PATH="/opt/venv/bin:$PATH" 7COPY requirements.txt . 8RUN pip install -r requirements.txt 9 10# STAGE 2: Production (light, only runtime) 11FROM python:3.12-slim AS production 12RUN groupadd -r django && useradd -r -g django django 13RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libpq5 curl && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* 14WORKDIR /app 15COPY /opt/venv /opt/venv 16COPY . . 17USER django 18ENV PATH="/opt/venv/bin:$PATH" 19EXPOSE 8000 20HEALTHCHECK CMD curl -f http://localhost:8000/health/ || exit 1 21CMD ["gunicorn", "--workers", "4", "--bind", "0.0.0.0:8000", "myproject.wsgi:application"]
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
Module 6: Next.js in Production — SSR & Standalone
🎯 What You'll Build: Optimized Next.js container using standalone output
⏱️ Time: 5 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Module 5
🧩 Analogy: Next.js standalone output is like packing for a trip with only a carry-on. Instead of bringing your entire closet (all node_modules), you pack exactly what you need. Your container starts faster, uses less memory, and is more secure.
🔨 Performance Wins:
| Metric | Standard | Standalone |
|---|---|---|
| Image Size | 1.2GB+ | ~180MB |
| Startup Time | 15s | 3s |
| Memory Usage | 400MB+ | 120MB |
| Attack Surface | Huge (all deps) | Minimal |
🔨 Key Config:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], nextConfig = { 3 ,[object Object],: ,[object Object],, ,[object Object], 4 ,[object Object],: ,[object Object],, ,[object Object], 5 ,[object Object],: { ,[object Object],: ,[object Object], }, ,[object Object], 6}
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
Module 7: SSL & HTTPS — Let's Encrypt Auto-Renewal
🎯 What You'll Build: Free SSL certificates that auto-renew forever
⏱️ Time: 4 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Module 6
🧩 Analogy: SSL is like a sealed envelope for your mail. Without it, anyone can read your letters (data). Let's Encrypt is the post office that gives you free sealed envelopes, and Certbot is your assistant who automatically renews them before they expire.
🔨 Docker Compose Integration:
1[object Object], 2 ,[object Object], 3 ,[object Object], 4 ,[object Object], 5 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 6 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 7 8 ,[object Object], 9 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 10 ,[object Object], 11 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 12 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 13 ,[object Object], ,[object Object],
🔨 Security Headers to Add:
1add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preload" always; 2add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always; 3add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always; 4add_header Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" always;
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
Module 8: Security Hardening — The Production Checklist
🎯 What You'll Build: Hardened Docker Compose with defense in depth
⏱️ Time: 6 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Module 7
🧩 Analogy: Container security is like securing an apartment building:
- Non-root users = Tenants have their own keys (not master keys)
- Read-only filesystem = Walls you can't drill into
- Network policies = Doors that only open to specific people
- Capabilities = Only giving tenants the permissions they need
🔨 Security Layers:
| Layer | Implementation | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Container | Non-root, read-only fs | user: "1000:1000", read_only: true |
| Capabilities | Drop all, add needed | cap_drop: [ALL], cap_add: [CHOWN] |
| Network | Internal networks | internal: true for DB network |
| Nginx | Rate limiting | limit_req_zone + limit_req |
| App | Input validation | Django forms, Next.js API routes |
| Secrets | Never in git | .env in .gitignore, Docker secrets |
| Images | Scan vulnerabilities | Trivy/Grype in CI pipeline |
🔨 Hardened Compose Snippet:
1[object Object], 2 ,[object Object], 3 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 4 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 5 ,[object Object], 6 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 7 ,[object Object], 8 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 9 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 10 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 11 ,[object Object], 12 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 13 ,[object Object], 14 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 15 16 ,[object Object], 17 ,[object Object], 18 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object],
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
🏗️ Mini Project: DeployMart v2.0 — Production hardened with SSL
Track 3: 🎯 Kubernetes Scale (Weeks 9-12)
Module 9: Kubernetes 101 — From Compose to K8s
🎯 What You'll Build: First K8s cluster locally with kind/minikube
⏱️ Time: 6 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Track 2 complete
🧩 Analogy: If Docker Compose is a single restaurant manager, Kubernetes is the corporate headquarters managing 100 restaurants. It decides where to open new locations (scheduling), handles sick staff (self-healing), and balances customer load across all branches (load balancing).
🔨 Compose → K8s Translation:
| Docker Compose | Kubernetes | Analogy |
|---|---|---|
service | Deployment + Service | Employee + Phone number |
ports | Service + Ingress | Internal line + Public reception |
volumes | PersistentVolumeClaim | Renting a storage unit |
environment | ConfigMap / Secret | Public memo vs Locked safe |
depends_on | initContainers | "Wait for the kitchen to be ready" |
scale | replicas + HPA | Hiring more staff automatically |
🔨 First K8s Commands:
1[object Object], 2kubectl create deployment django --image=myapp:v1 3 4,[object Object], 5kubectl expose deployment django --port=80 --target-port=8000 6 7,[object Object], 8kubectl scale deployment django --replicas=3 9 10,[object Object], 11kubectl get all
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
Module 10: K8s Manifests — Django + Next.js + Ingress
🎯 What You'll Build: Complete K8s manifests for DeployMart
⏱️ Time: 8 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Module 9
🧩 Analogy: K8s manifests are like architectural blueprints. Instead of telling workers "build a house" (Docker Compose), you give them exact blueprints: how many rooms (replicas), what materials (images), where the doors go (services), and the security system (network policies).
🔨 Complete Manifest Structure:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], ,[object Object], 3,[object Object], ,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 6 7,[object Object], 8,[object Object], 9,[object Object], ,[object Object], 10,[object Object], ,[object Object], 11,[object Object], 12 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 13 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 14,[object Object], 15 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 16 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 17 18,[object Object], 19,[object Object], 20,[object Object], ,[object Object], 21,[object Object], ,[object Object], 22,[object Object], 23 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 24 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 25,[object Object], ,[object Object], 26,[object Object], 27 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 28 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 29 30,[object Object], 31,[object Object], 32,[object Object], ,[object Object], 33,[object Object], ,[object Object], 34,[object Object], 35 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 36 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 37,[object Object], 38 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 39 ,[object Object], 40 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 41 ,[object Object], 42 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 43 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 44 ,[object Object], 45 ,[object Object], 46 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 47 ,[object Object], 48 ,[object Object], 49 ,[object Object], 50 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 51 ,[object Object], 52 ,[object Object], 53 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 54 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 55 ,[object Object], 56 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 57 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 58 ,[object Object], 59 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 60 ,[object Object], 61 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 62 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 63 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 64 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 65 ,[object Object], 66 ,[object Object], 67 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 68 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 69 ,[object Object], 70 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 71 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 72 ,[object Object], 73 ,[object Object], 74 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 75 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 76 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 77 ,[object Object], 78 ,[object Object], 79 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 80 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 81 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 82 83,[object Object], 84,[object Object], 85,[object Object], ,[object Object], 86,[object Object], ,[object Object], 87,[object Object], 88 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 89 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 90,[object Object], 91 ,[object Object], 92 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 93 ,[object Object], 94 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 95 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 96 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 97 98,[object Object], 99,[object Object], 100,[object Object], ,[object Object], 101,[object Object], ,[object Object], 102,[object Object], 103 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 104 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 105 ,[object Object], 106 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 107 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 108,[object Object], 109 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 110 ,[object Object], 111 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 112 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 113 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 114 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 115 ,[object Object], 116 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 117 ,[object Object], 118 ,[object Object], 119 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 120 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 121 ,[object Object], 122 ,[object Object], 123 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 124 ,[object Object], 125 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 126 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 127 ,[object Object], 128 ,[object Object], 129 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 130 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 131 ,[object Object], 132 ,[object Object], 133 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 134 ,[object Object], 135 ,[object Object], ,[object Object],
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
Module 11: CI/CD Pipeline — GitHub Actions + ArgoCD
🎯 What You'll Build: Full GitOps pipeline — push code → automatic deploy
⏱️ Time: 6 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Module 10
🧩 Analogy: CI/CD is like a sushi restaurant conveyor belt. GitHub Actions prepares the ingredients (tests, builds, pushes images). ArgoCD is the chef who watches the belt and serves exactly what's on the menu (Git repo = desired state). If someone changes the menu, the chef updates the plates automatically.
🔨 Pipeline Flow:
Developer pushes to main
↓
GitHub Actions runs tests
↓
Builds Docker images with commit SHA tag
↓
Pushes to Container Registry
↓
Updates Kustomize image tag in Git
↓
ArgoCD detects Git change
↓
Syncs Kubernetes cluster to match Git
🔨 GitHub Actions Workflow:
1[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3 ,[object Object], 4 ,[object Object], [,[object Object],] 5 6,[object Object], 7 ,[object Object], 8 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 9 ,[object Object], 10 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 11 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 12 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 13 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 14 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 15 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 16 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 17 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 18 19 ,[object Object], 20 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 21 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 22 ,[object Object], 23 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 24 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 25 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 26 ,[object Object], 27 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 28 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 29 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 30 31 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 32 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 33 ,[object Object], 34 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 35 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 36 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 37 38 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 39 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 40 ,[object Object], 41 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 42 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 43 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 44 45 ,[object Object], 46 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 47 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 48 ,[object Object], 49 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 50 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 51 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 52 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 53 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 54 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 55 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 56 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 57 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 58 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 59 ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], ,[object Object], 60 ,[object Object], ,[object Object],
🎓 Checkpoint:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
Module 12: Capstone — DeployMart on Kubernetes
🎯 What You'll Build: Production-grade K8s platform with monitoring
⏱️ Time: 10 hours | 📋 Prerequisites: Module 11
🧩 Analogy: This is your graduation project. You're not just building a restaurant anymore — you're designing a franchise system. Multiple locations (pods), a command center (monitoring), automatic scaling (HPA), and a disaster recovery plan (backups). This is what real companies run.
🏗️ Final Architecture:
Internet
↓
Cloudflare / Load Balancer
↓
Nginx Ingress Controller (K8s)
├── api.deploymart.com → Django Service → 3-10 Pods (HPA)
└── app.deploymart.com → Next.js Service → 3-10 Pods (HPA)
PostgreSQL StatefulSet + PVC (persistent storage)
Redis Deployment (caching)
Prometheus + Grafana (monitoring)
cert-manager (auto-SSL)
ArgoCD (GitOps)
✅ Capstone Deliverables:
| Deliverable | Description |
|---|---|
| K8s Manifests | Base + dev/prod overlays with Kustomize |
| CI/CD Pipeline | GitHub Actions → ArgoCD GitOps |
| Monitoring | Prometheus metrics + Grafana dashboards |
| Security | NetworkPolicies, RBAC, non-root containers |
| Documentation | Runbook, ADRs, architecture diagrams |
| Demo | 5-minute video walkthrough |
🎓 Final Exam:
1[object Object], 2,[object Object], 3,[object Object], 4,[object Object], 5,[object Object], 6,[object Object],
📊 Complete Course Summary
| # | Module | Track | Time | What You Build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Docker for Web Developers | 🏗️ Beginner | 3h | First container |
| 2 | Docker Compose | 🏗️ Beginner | 4h | Multi-container app |
| 3 | Nginx Reverse Proxy | 🏗️ Beginner | 4h | Traffic routing |
| 4 | DeployMart v1.0 | 🏗️ Beginner | 6h | Full local stack |
| 5 | Django Production | ⚡ Intermediate | 5h | Hardened Django image |
| 6 | Next.js Production | ⚡ Intermediate | 5h | Standalone container |
| 7 | SSL & Let's Encrypt | ⚡ Intermediate | 4h | HTTPS auto-renewal |
| 8 | Security Hardening | ⚡ Intermediate | 6h | Production checklist |
| 9 | Kubernetes 101 | 🎯 Advanced | 6h | First K8s cluster |
| 10 | K8s Manifests | 🎯 Advanced | 8h | Complete manifests |
| 11 | CI/CD + GitOps | 🎯 Advanced | 6h | Automated pipeline |
| 12 | DeployMart v3.0 | 🎯 Advanced | 10h | Production K8s platform |
Total: 12 modules | 67 hours | 12 weeks | 3 major projects
🗂️ Recommended Project Structure
deploymart/
├── docker-compose.yml # Track 1: Local dev
├── docker-compose.prod.yml # Track 2: Production
├── Makefile # Common commands
├── .github/
│ └── workflows/
│ └── deploy.yml # Track 3: CI/CD
├── nginx/
│ ├── nginx.conf
│ └── conf.d/
│ └── default.conf
├── django/
│ ├── Dockerfile
│ ├── Dockerfile.prod # Multi-stage
│ ├── requirements.txt
│ └── myproject/
├── nextjs/
│ ├── Dockerfile
│ ├── Dockerfile.prod # Standalone
│ ├── next.config.js
│ └── src/
├── k8s/
│ ├── base/ # Base manifests
│ │ ├── namespace.yaml
│ │ ├── configmap.yaml
│ │ ├── secret.yaml
│ │ ├── django-deployment.yaml
│ │ ├── django-service.yaml
│ │ ├── nextjs-deployment.yaml
│ │ ├── nextjs-service.yaml
│ │ ├── ingress.yaml
│ │ ├── hpa.yaml
│ │ └── network-policy.yaml
│ └── overlays/
│ ├── dev/
│ └── production/
│ └── kustomization.yaml
└── scripts/
├── init-letsencrypt.sh
└── backup.sh
🎓 How to Teach Each Module (Instructor Guide)
For every module, follow this 5-Phase Lesson Plan:
Phase 1: Hook (10 min)
- Show a real production failure (e.g., "This company lost $5M because they used
runserverin prod") - Ask: "How would YOU solve this?"
Phase 2: Concept + Analogy (20 min)
- Explain the concept
- Use the analogy from this guide
- Draw the architecture on a whiteboard
Phase 3: Live Coding (40 min)
- Build it together step by step
- Make intentional mistakes, then fix them
- Show before/after comparisons
Phase 4: Hands-On Lab (30 min)
- Students complete the checkpoint independently
- Instructor circulates to help
Phase 5: Review + Mini Project Assignment (20 min)
- Review common mistakes
- Assign mini project
- Preview next module
This redesigned course uses analogies for every complex concept, clear before/after comparisons, hands-on checkpoints after every module, and a single continuous project (DeployMart) that grows from local Docker to production Kubernetes. Students don't just learn tools — they understand why each decision matters.