abidaslam892

Posted on Nov 14

DevOps Engineer to Cloud Architect

Originally published on Medium:

Medium

Hello! I’m Abid Aslam, a DevOps Engineer and Cloud Solutions Architect with over 15 years of experience in telecom operations, infrastructure automation, and cloud computing. My journey through the Azure Resume Challenge wasn’t just about building a resume website — it was about showcasing the evolution of modern cloud architecture and demonstrating how traditional infrastructure expertise translates to cutting-edge cloud solutions.

In this comprehensive article, I’ll walk you through my complete Azure Resume Challenge experience, the unique approaches I took, and the advanced blog system I built to share my technical expertise with the community.

What Motivated Me to Take the Azure Resume Challenge
As someone who has spent over a decade managing critical telecom BSS (Business Support Systems) and building enterprise-grade infrastructure, I wanted to demonstrate how traditional IT operations expertise translates to modern cloud architecture. The Azure Resume Challenge provided the perfect platform to showcase:

Modern Cloud Architecture: Moving from traditional server management to serverless, scalable solutions

DevOps Best Practices: Implementing CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code, and automated testing

Full-Stack Development: Combining backend engineering with modern frontend experiences

Technical Writing: Creating comprehensive documentation and sharing knowledge with the community

Project Architecture Overview

My implementation goes beyond the basic challenge requirements, incorporating enterprise-grade patterns and advanced features:

Frontend Architecture

Static Website Hosting: Azure Storage with $web container

Custom Domain: Professional domain with SSL/TLS encryption

Content Delivery: Azure Front Door for global performance

Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach with modern CSS

Backend Architecture

Serverless Computing: Azure Functions with Python 3.11

Database: CosmosDB Table API for visitor counter persistence

API Design : RESTful endpoints with proper CORS handling

Monitoring : Built-in health checks and comprehensive logging

DevOps Pipeline

Source Control : GitHub with organized repository structure

CI/CD : GitHub Actions for automated deployment

Infrastructure as Code : ARM templates for reproducible deployments

Testing: Automated testing and validation workflows

Phase 1: Building the Professional Frontend

The Resume Website

Press enter or click to view image in full size

Abid Aslam
CMPAK (Zong Pakistan Ltd) - Islamabad Lead SA & Project Manager for CRM / OCS / Rating / Mediation and Billing systems…
www.abidaslam.online

I started with creating a clean, professional resume website that reflects modern design principles:


<! — Key features of my resume design →

- Responsive layout optimized for all devices

- Professional typography using Inter font family

- Semantic HTML structure for accessibility

- CSS Grid and Flexbox for modern layouts

- Smooth animations and transitions

The website showcases my 15+ years of experience in:

Telecom Operations and BSS Systems
DevOps and Infrastructure Automation
Cloud Architecture and Migration
Kubernetes and Container Orchestration
Monitoring and Observability Solutions

Advanced Blog System
What sets my implementation apart is the comprehensive technical blog I built as part of the project. The blog features:

9 In-Depth Technical Articles covering:
Azure Resume Challenge complete walkthrough
DevOps automation with GitHub Actions
Kubernetes security and RBAC implementation
Azure Functions best practices
Terraform infrastructure patterns
Evolution from traditional monitoring to modern observability
Legacy application containerization strategies
Advanced troubleshooting methodologies
Enterprise-grade deployment patterns
Interactive Modal System: Professional reading experience with JavaScript-powered modals
Technical Code Examples: Real-world code snippets and architecture diagrams
Responsive Design: Optimized for desktop and mobile reading

Phase 2: Serverless Backend Implementation
Azure Functions Architecture
The backend implementation uses Azure Functions with several advanced features:


# Core visitor counter implementation

@app.route(route=”visitor-counter”, methods=[“GET”, “POST”, “OPTIONS”],

auth_level=func.AuthLevel.ANONYMOUS)

def visitor_counter(req: func.HttpRequest) -> func.HttpResponse:

“””

Azure Function HTTP trigger for visitor counter

- GET: Returns current visitor count

- POST: Increments and returns visitor count

- OPTIONS: CORS preflight support

“””

Database Integration
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Using CosmosDB Table API for reliable, scalable data persistence:


# Advanced table storage management

class TableStorageManager:

def __init__(self):

# Connection string and key-based authentication

# Proper error handling and logging

# Retry logic and connection pooling

Press enter or click to view image in full size

API Endpoints
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Three comprehensive endpoints providing different functionality:

/api/visitor-counter: Main counter functionality
/api/visitor-stats: Detailed analytics and metadata
/api/health: Health monitoring and diagnostics

Phase 3: Infrastructure as Code

Azure Resource Management

Implemented using ARM templates for complete infrastructure automation:


{

“parameters”: {

“storageAccountName”: {

“type”: “string”,

“metadata”: {

“description”: “Name of the storage account for static website”

}

},

“functionAppName”: {

“type”: “string”,

“metadata”: {

“description”: “Name of the Azure Function App”

}

}

}

}

Resource Organization

Press enter or click to view image in full size

-Resource Groups: Logical organization of all Azure resources

Storage Accounts: Static website hosting with CDN integration
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Function Apps: Serverless compute with auto-scaling
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Press enter or click to view image in full size

CosmosDB : Global distribution with Table API
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Press enter or click to view image in full size

Application Insights: Comprehensive monitoring and analytics
Phase 4: Advanced CI/CD Pipeline
GitHub Actions Workflows
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Press enter or click to view image in full size

Implemented separate workflows for frontend and backend deployments:


# Frontend deployment workflow

name: Deploy Frontend

on:

push:

branches: [ main ]

paths: [ ‘*.html’, ‘*.css’, ‘*.js’ ]

jobs:

deploy:

runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:

- name: Upload to Azure Storage

uses: azure/ — — -

with:

azcliversion: 2.30.0

inlineScript: |

az storage blob upload-batch \

— account-name ${{ secrets.AZURE_STORAGE_ACCOUNT }} \

— destination ‘$web’ \

— source . \

— auth-mode key

Deployment Strategy

Blue-Green Deployments: Zero-downtime updates
Automated Testing : Integration and unit tests
Environment Management: Separate dev/staging/production environments
Rollback Capabilities: Automated rollback on failure

Phase 5: Advanced Monitoring and Observability

Application Insights Integration

Comprehensive monitoring covering:
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Application Performance: Response times, throughput, error rates
Infrastructure Metrics : CPU, memory, storage utilization
Custom Metrics : Business-specific KPIs and analytics
Distributed Tracing : End-to-end request tracking
Health Monitoring
Press enter or click to view image in full size

Press enter or click to view image in full size

Built-in health checks providing:


{

“status”: “healthy”,

“timestamp”: “2025–10–23T09:11:09.286391+00:00”,

“services”: {

“table_storage”: “connected”,

“function_app”: “running”

}

}

Challenges Overcome

Azure Functions Deployment Issues

Challenge : Initial deployment conflicts with WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE settings

Solution: Implemented proper deployment configuration management and environment variable handling

CORS Configuration

Challenge: Cross-origin requests between static website and Azure Functions

Solution : Comprehensive CORS handling in function code with proper preflight support

CosmosDB Integration

Challenge : Connecting Azure Functions to CosmosDB Table API with proper authentication

Solution : Implemented multiple authentication methods with fallback strategies

Performance Optimization

Challenge: Ensuring fast loading times and smooth user experience

Solution : CDN integration, image optimization, and efficient caching strategies

Technical Skills Demonstrated
Through this project, I’ve showcased expertise in:

Cloud Architecture

Serverless Computing: Azure Functions for scalable backend services
Storage Solutions: Azure Storage for static hosting and CosmosDB for data persistence
CDN Integration: Azure Front Door for global content delivery
Security: SSL/TLS, CORS, and proper authentication mechanisms

DevOps Practices

Infrastructure as Code: ARM templates for reproducible deployments
CI/CD Pipelines : GitHub Actions with comprehensive testing
Monitoring: Application Insights and custom health checks
Documentation: Comprehensive README files and technical documentation

Development Excellence

Full-Stack Development: Modern HTML/CSS/JavaScript with Python backend
API Design: RESTful services with proper error handling
Database Management: NoSQL design patterns and data modeling
Performance Optimization: Efficient caching and content delivery

Advanced Blog Content Creation
One of the unique aspects of my implementation is the comprehensive technical blog featuring 9 detailed articles:

Future Enhancements

Phase 6: Advanced Analytics

User Behavior Tracking : Detailed analytics on resume page interactions
A/B Testing: Continuous optimization of user experience

Phase 7: Multi-Cloud Integration
AWS Integration : Cross-cloud deployment strategies
Hybrid Architecture: On-premises integration patterns

Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned

Technical Insights

Serverless Architecture: Azure Functions provide excellent scalability and cost-effectiveness
Static Site Hosting: Azure Storage offers robust, high-performance hosting for static content
CI/CD Integration: GitHub Actions seamlessly integrates with Azure services
Monitoring Importance: Comprehensive observability is crucial for production systems

Professional Growth

Full-Stack Skills: Combining backend expertise with modern frontend development
Cloud Architecture: Designing scalable, resilient cloud-native solutions
Technical Writing : Sharing knowledge through comprehensive documentation
Community Engagement: Contributing to the broader DevOps and cloud communities

Project Results and Impact
Website Performance

Performance Metrics: Sub-second load times globally
Security: Zero security incidents with proper SSL/TLS implementation

Professional Impact

Portfolio Showcase: Comprehensive demonstration of cloud and DevOps expertise
Knowledge Sharing : Technical blog serving the community
Career Development: Enhanced profile for cloud architecture opportunities
Industry Recognition: Contributing to Azure Resume Challenge community

Conclusion
The Azure Resume Challenge has been far more than just building a resume website — it’s been a comprehensive journey through modern cloud architecture, DevOps best practices, and technical leadership. Through this project, I’ve demonstrated how 15+ years of traditional IT operations expertise translates to cutting-edge cloud solutions.

The combination of professional resume presentation, advanced technical blog content, and enterprise-grade architecture showcases the evolution from traditional infrastructure management to modern cloud-native solutions.

Key Achievements

Complete Azure Architecture: Serverless backend, CDN-enabled frontend, and NoSQL database
Advanced CI/CD Pipeline: Automated deployment with comprehensive testing
Professional Presentation: Modern, responsive design optimized for all devices

Enterprise Patterns: Scalable, maintainable, and secure architecture
What’s Next
I’m excited to continue evolving this platform, adding advanced analytics, multi-cloud integration, and AI-powered features. The Azure Resume Challenge has provided an excellent foundation for showcasing cloud expertise and contributing to the broader DevOps community.

For fellow engineers considering the Azure Resume Challenge, I highly recommend it as a comprehensive way to demonstrate your cloud skills while building something genuinely useful for your career.

— -

Visit my live Azure Resume Challenge implementation:

Resume Website : https://www.abidaslam.online/

Connect with me:

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/abid-aslam-75520330/
Email : abidaslam.123@gmail.comm
GitHub: abidaslam892

Thank you for joining me on this cloud journey! I look forward to connecting with fellow cloud enthusiasts and sharing more advanced technical content.

— -

This article represents my personal experience with the Azure Resume Challenge and includes advanced patterns developed through 15+ years of enterprise IT operations and cloud architecture experience.