Matt Allford
@mattallford.com
Technologist based in Australia 🇦🇺
Octonaut at #OctopusDeploy
Content creator and educator
Pluralsight author
www.mattallford.com
Octonaut at #OctopusDeploy
Content creator and educator
Pluralsight author
www.mattallford.com
Reposted by Matt Allford
In this tip of the week, @todaywasawesome.com explains how to think about using Argo CD for both the application layer and the infrastructure layer.
Can you start with one and finish with the other? Where does #Argo CD take over?
Watch the tip to learn more 👇
Can you start with one and finish with the other? Where does #Argo CD take over?
Watch the tip to learn more 👇
June 28, 2026 at 10:03 AM
In this tip of the week, @todaywasawesome.com explains how to think about using Argo CD for both the application layer and the infrastructure layer.
Can you start with one and finish with the other? Where does #Argo CD take over?
Watch the tip to learn more 👇
Can you start with one and finish with the other? Where does #Argo CD take over?
Watch the tip to learn more 👇
Hey there! Yeah, you! 👋 Steve Fenton and I hit PlatformCon Live this week, sharing 15 mins of Platform Engineering research insights, and 3 asks we're leaving with you, as well as why they're important for successful Platforms.
Pulse check: Platform engineering research - Steve Fenton & Matt Allford | PlatformCon 2026
Platform Engineering is having a moment, but are platforms actually delivering? Steve Fenton and Matt Allford dig into the data from the Platform Engineering Pulse report to separate the signal from the hype and show you what sets the high performers apart from the lackluster losers.
The research p
www.youtube.com
June 26, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Hey there! Yeah, you! 👋 Steve Fenton and I hit PlatformCon Live this week, sharing 15 mins of Platform Engineering research insights, and 3 asks we're leaving with you, as well as why they're important for successful Platforms.
I've naturally leaned more toward consuming content via audio and video, and I'm finding myself wanting to consume it in this format now more than ever.
I'm really struggling with consuming written content, and I used to love reading blogs and articles.
I'm really struggling with consuming written content, and I used to love reading blogs and articles.
June 18, 2026 at 1:30 PM
I've naturally leaned more toward consuming content via audio and video, and I'm finding myself wanting to consume it in this format now more than ever.
I'm really struggling with consuming written content, and I used to love reading blogs and articles.
I'm really struggling with consuming written content, and I used to love reading blogs and articles.
As engineers, we build custom solutions to fill gaps our vendors haven't solved yet. But should they live forever?
Most teams are carrying at least one custom solution that a vendor they already use has since solved natively. Knowing when to let it go is a habit worth building.
Most teams are carrying at least one custom solution that a vendor they already use has since solved natively. Knowing when to let it go is a habit worth building.
May 26, 2026 at 1:00 PM
As engineers, we build custom solutions to fill gaps our vendors haven't solved yet. But should they live forever?
Most teams are carrying at least one custom solution that a vendor they already use has since solved natively. Knowing when to let it go is a habit worth building.
Most teams are carrying at least one custom solution that a vendor they already use has since solved natively. Knowing when to let it go is a habit worth building.
I get frustrated when I reach for a USB cable for a certain scenario, but I don't know if the one I got can do the job.
Few manufactures print the capabilities on the cable itself, but there is some action you can take. Check out my rambling below to see what I'm doing!
Few manufactures print the capabilities on the cable itself, but there is some action you can take. Check out my rambling below to see what I'm doing!
No One Knows What Their USB Cables Do | Matt Allford
There are heaps of USB cables in my house, but if you asked me to tell you the capabilities a particular cable has, I’d come up short. I just simply wouldn’t have a clue, or if I thought I did, I’d take a guess and more than likely get it wrong. And I’m willing to bet this is the same for you, too.
I’m not talking about the interface of the cable. Most people can look at a cable and know if thats USB-A (or as my wife calls it, “the old kind”), or the more modern, standard, USB-C type.
www.mattallford.com
May 4, 2026 at 11:00 AM
I get frustrated when I reach for a USB cable for a certain scenario, but I don't know if the one I got can do the job.
Few manufactures print the capabilities on the cable itself, but there is some action you can take. Check out my rambling below to see what I'm doing!
Few manufactures print the capabilities on the cable itself, but there is some action you can take. Check out my rambling below to see what I'm doing!
Was probably one of the first video games I remember playing.
April 19, 2026 at 2:38 AM
Was probably one of the first video games I remember playing.
Late last year, I kicked off a series - Inside Platform Engineering. I speak with platform practitioners in the trenches, find out what's working, what keeps them up and night, and where things might be headed.
With 2026 underway, I'm gearing up for more discussions:
With 2026 underway, I'm gearing up for more discussions:
Inside Platform Engineering
Inside Platform Engineering goes under the hood with platform engineers and leaders from around the world. Hosted by Matt Allford, Developer Advocate at Octo...
www.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:17 AM
Late last year, I kicked off a series - Inside Platform Engineering. I speak with platform practitioners in the trenches, find out what's working, what keeps them up and night, and where things might be headed.
With 2026 underway, I'm gearing up for more discussions:
With 2026 underway, I'm gearing up for more discussions:
I really love this series on Drumeo, and Alter Bridge are one of my fav bands.
There’s a heap of fantastic drummers who have participated in this series and come up with really awesome tracks on the spot.
youtu.be/vr540YCh5us?...
There’s a heap of fantastic drummers who have participated in this series and come up with really awesome tracks on the spot.
youtu.be/vr540YCh5us?...
Shannon Leto Hears Alter Bridge For The First Time
YouTube video by Drumeo
youtu.be
November 26, 2025 at 8:48 PM
I really love this series on Drumeo, and Alter Bridge are one of my fav bands.
There’s a heap of fantastic drummers who have participated in this series and come up with really awesome tracks on the spot.
youtu.be/vr540YCh5us?...
There’s a heap of fantastic drummers who have participated in this series and come up with really awesome tracks on the spot.
youtu.be/vr540YCh5us?...
Reposted by Matt Allford
Join @mattallford.com , @clfleming.bsky.social , and me for a conversation about our year in research. Featuring #GitOps, #PlatformEngineering, #AI, #Compliance, and more!
Date: December 9-10, 2025
Starts: 5am PST / 8am EST / 13:00 GMT / 14:00 CET
Location: Virtual event
➵ ➵ ➵ octopus.com/shipped
Date: December 9-10, 2025
Starts: 5am PST / 8am EST / 13:00 GMT / 14:00 CET
Location: Virtual event
➵ ➵ ➵ octopus.com/shipped
November 24, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Join @mattallford.com , @clfleming.bsky.social , and me for a conversation about our year in research. Featuring #GitOps, #PlatformEngineering, #AI, #Compliance, and more!
Date: December 9-10, 2025
Starts: 5am PST / 8am EST / 13:00 GMT / 14:00 CET
Location: Virtual event
➵ ➵ ➵ octopus.com/shipped
Date: December 9-10, 2025
Starts: 5am PST / 8am EST / 13:00 GMT / 14:00 CET
Location: Virtual event
➵ ➵ ➵ octopus.com/shipped
Reposted by Matt Allford
October 14, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Platform Engineering is a hot topic. So hot that later this week, Steve Fenton, Chris Pirillo, and I are having a fireside chat where we'll discuss some interesting insights from the field and uncover insights and trends. Come along and join the discussion live.
Oh, and it's free. Link below!
Oh, and it's free. Link below!
Is your IDP a success illusion? 🤔 On Sep 18 get a data-backed reality check from @Octopus.com's @stevefenton.co.uk & @mattallford.com. This webinar will explore what a high-performing Internal Developer Platform looks like and how to measure its true impact.
Register now ➡️ bit.ly/OctopusDeplo...
Register now ➡️ bit.ly/OctopusDeplo...
September 16, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Platform Engineering is a hot topic. So hot that later this week, Steve Fenton, Chris Pirillo, and I are having a fireside chat where we'll discuss some interesting insights from the field and uncover insights and trends. Come along and join the discussion live.
Oh, and it's free. Link below!
Oh, and it's free. Link below!
If you’re working with @biceplang.bsky.social, go jump into this community on LI!
🚀 2600 Azure Bicep enthusiasts! A LinkedIn community where you can share Bicep experiences, blogs, tips and tricks and ask questions!
💪🏼 Happy to be running this with @rios.engineer for the Bicep community.
#azure #azurebicep #MVPBuzz
💪🏼 Happy to be running this with @rios.engineer for the Bicep community.
#azure #azurebicep #MVPBuzz
September 2, 2025 at 10:10 PM
If you’re working with @biceplang.bsky.social, go jump into this community on LI!
My bad. #business #cybersecurity #finance
YouTube video by Chris Kohler
youtube.com
July 30, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Reposted by Matt Allford
"The Productivity Delusion" - My new article challenges how we think about productivity in tech. Multitasking isn't helping, and "typing faster" isn't the goal. Let's focus on real impact, not just perception.
Read more: octopus.com/blog/product...
#DevOps #SoftwareEngineering #Productivity #Tech
Read more: octopus.com/blog/product...
#DevOps #SoftwareEngineering #Productivity #Tech
The productivity delusion
Find out why measuring productivity is a fast-track to failure and what to do instead.
octopus.com
July 22, 2025 at 12:01 PM
"The Productivity Delusion" - My new article challenges how we think about productivity in tech. Multitasking isn't helping, and "typing faster" isn't the goal. Let's focus on real impact, not just perception.
Read more: octopus.com/blog/product...
#DevOps #SoftwareEngineering #Productivity #Tech
Read more: octopus.com/blog/product...
#DevOps #SoftwareEngineering #Productivity #Tech
Stop relying on gut feelings to measure your DevOps success!
📊 In the latest Exploring Octopus Deploy video, I show how to use built-in Insights to track DORA metrics with hard data from your existing deployments, no extra tools needed!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN3f...
📊 In the latest Exploring Octopus Deploy video, I show how to use built-in Insights to track DORA metrics with hard data from your existing deployments, no extra tools needed!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN3f...
Insights in Octopus Deploy
YouTube video by Octopus Deploy
www.youtube.com
July 9, 2025 at 2:47 AM
Stop relying on gut feelings to measure your DevOps success!
📊 In the latest Exploring Octopus Deploy video, I show how to use built-in Insights to track DORA metrics with hard data from your existing deployments, no extra tools needed!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN3f...
📊 In the latest Exploring Octopus Deploy video, I show how to use built-in Insights to track DORA metrics with hard data from your existing deployments, no extra tools needed!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN3f...
In the field I experienced a lot of companies use what I refer to as “skeleton pipelines”.
They’re a great starting point to perform a build or release, though can often be overlooked for improvements and value.
I put some thoughts on this below!
#OctopusDeploy
octopus.com/blog/beyond-...
They’re a great starting point to perform a build or release, though can often be overlooked for improvements and value.
I put some thoughts on this below!
#OctopusDeploy
octopus.com/blog/beyond-...
Beyond skeleton pipelines: who owns your software pipeline? - Octopus Deploy
Most teams have basic CI/CD pipelines that work but never improve. Without clear ownership, these 'skeleton pipelines' become bottlenecks instead of enablers.
octopus.com
June 11, 2025 at 9:59 PM
In the field I experienced a lot of companies use what I refer to as “skeleton pipelines”.
They’re a great starting point to perform a build or release, though can often be overlooked for improvements and value.
I put some thoughts on this below!
#OctopusDeploy
octopus.com/blog/beyond-...
They’re a great starting point to perform a build or release, though can often be overlooked for improvements and value.
I put some thoughts on this below!
#OctopusDeploy
octopus.com/blog/beyond-...
I’m super excited to have recently started as a Developer Advocate at Octopus Deploy!
I’ve spent the last few weeks getting my feet under the desk, feeling extremely welcomed, and drinking from the firehose (maybe even 8 fire hoses?).
I’ve spent the last few weeks getting my feet under the desk, feeling extremely welcomed, and drinking from the firehose (maybe even 8 fire hoses?).
May 28, 2025 at 4:49 AM
I’m super excited to have recently started as a Developer Advocate at Octopus Deploy!
I’ve spent the last few weeks getting my feet under the desk, feeling extremely welcomed, and drinking from the firehose (maybe even 8 fire hoses?).
I’ve spent the last few weeks getting my feet under the desk, feeling extremely welcomed, and drinking from the firehose (maybe even 8 fire hoses?).
Software rollbacks often get oversimplified. Just revert a commit, right? Becoming more common, automatic rollbacks are pitched as a safety net, but are they really that simple, or safe?
@stevefenton.co.uk makes the case that automatic rollbacks should be a last resort:
octopus.com/blog/automat...
@stevefenton.co.uk makes the case that automatic rollbacks should be a last resort:
octopus.com/blog/automat...
Automatic rollbacks are a last resort - Octopus Deploy
Find out why automatic rollbacks are rarely the right answer to deployment challenges.
octopus.com
May 16, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Software rollbacks often get oversimplified. Just revert a commit, right? Becoming more common, automatic rollbacks are pitched as a safety net, but are they really that simple, or safe?
@stevefenton.co.uk makes the case that automatic rollbacks should be a last resort:
octopus.com/blog/automat...
@stevefenton.co.uk makes the case that automatic rollbacks should be a last resort:
octopus.com/blog/automat...
I had fun on my first appearance of @octopus.com’s Deploy on Friday! As usual, lots of good news from Octopus over the last week, wrapped up for you in under 10 minutes.
May 3, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I had fun on my first appearance of @octopus.com’s Deploy on Friday! As usual, lots of good news from Octopus over the last week, wrapped up for you in under 10 minutes.
Lining up another newsletter for later in the week!
This week there's a mix of code scanning for IaC, A newly released Well Architected Framework, a resource to use to keep your Azure environment tidy, and a great article covering the concepts of AI agents.
Sound interesting? Sign up below!
This week there's a mix of code scanning for IaC, A newly released Well Architected Framework, a resource to use to keep your Azure environment tidy, and a great article covering the concepts of AI agents.
Sound interesting? Sign up below!
January 31, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Lining up another newsletter for later in the week!
This week there's a mix of code scanning for IaC, A newly released Well Architected Framework, a resource to use to keep your Azure environment tidy, and a great article covering the concepts of AI agents.
Sound interesting? Sign up below!
This week there's a mix of code scanning for IaC, A newly released Well Architected Framework, a resource to use to keep your Azure environment tidy, and a great article covering the concepts of AI agents.
Sound interesting? Sign up below!
Aiming to achieve a GitHub certification in 2025?
Looking for some study resources?
Over at Pluralsight, the team have just published 3 learning paths for the following certifications:
- GitHub Foundations
- GitHub Administration
- GitHub Actions
Find the links below!
Looking for some study resources?
Over at Pluralsight, the team have just published 3 learning paths for the following certifications:
- GitHub Foundations
- GitHub Administration
- GitHub Actions
Find the links below!
January 30, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Aiming to achieve a GitHub certification in 2025?
Looking for some study resources?
Over at Pluralsight, the team have just published 3 learning paths for the following certifications:
- GitHub Foundations
- GitHub Administration
- GitHub Actions
Find the links below!
Looking for some study resources?
Over at Pluralsight, the team have just published 3 learning paths for the following certifications:
- GitHub Foundations
- GitHub Administration
- GitHub Actions
Find the links below!
Why is there never a fire at a fireside chat 🤔
December 11, 2024 at 11:01 PM
Why is there never a fire at a fireside chat 🤔