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About the Course

Bare Metal Networking for Private Clouds was born out of the realization that modern network engineers need to span two worlds: traditional data center networking and cloud-native infrastructure. This course bridges that gap.

Who Is This For?​

  • Network engineers and architects who want to learn how cloud-native tech (Kubernetes, eBPF) can be applied at the infrastructure level.
  • DevOps or SRE professionals looking to deepen their understanding of the network underpinnings of Kubernetes and high-performance cloud systems.
  • Networking enthusiasts eager to get hands-on with next-generation tech like Cilium and eBPF, beyond the basics.

If you've ever configured BGP on a router but wondered how that translates to Kubernetes, or if you've deployed apps on Kubernetes but felt the network was a black box – this course is for you.

Course Vision​

By the end of this course, you will:

  • Design and build a fully routed IPv6 spine-leaf fabric from scratch, without relying on legacy L2 solutions.
  • Deploy a Kubernetes cluster on bare metal using Talos, and seamlessly integrate it into that fabric (no overlay surprises).
  • Write and implement eBPF programs for critical networking functions, turning them into Cloud-Native Network Functions that outperform traditional appliances.
  • Handle failures with confidence – you'll practice tearing links down, killing processes, and watching your design self-heal in real time.

What Makes This Course Different?​

Unlike generic Kubernetes or networking courses, Bare Metal Networking for Private Clouds focuses on the intersection:

  • We emphasize eBPF and netkit, meaning you'll gain experience with tools and techniques that few network engineers have, giving you an edge in performance tuning and modern networking.
  • It's full-stack networking: from the physical switch port to the Linux kernel to the Kubernetes Service. You'll understand each layer and how they fit together.
  • Lab-first learning: We learn theory to inform practice. Each concept is immediately followed by a lab where you apply it and see the results, including things going wrong (and how to fix them).

How It's Structured​

The course is sequential – you start with fundamentals in Section 1, build on them in Section 2 and 3, then explore service chaining and reference topics. Each module builds toward a capstone project: a mini production-ready network design you can deploy in a lab or on cloud VMs.

We also continuously update the material. As eBPF and Kubernetes evolve, so will the course. Enrollees get updates and new labs (for example, if Cilium releases a new feature, we'll provide an example of how to use it in our context).

Our goal is that you finish this course not only with new knowledge, but with a portfolio of configurations, scripts, and eBPF programs that you can directly use or adapt in your job or projects. We look forward to seeing what you build!