What is Artemstar?
Artemstar is a revived DevOps blog that preserves clear, hands-on technical writing originally published between 2016 and 2018. The site covers modern infrastructure topics like Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Git, AWS, and VPN solutions — written by an engineer working through real problems and documenting them so others don't have to start from scratch. After the original server went down and the domain lapsed, the blog was brought back using Wayback Machine snapshots, keeping the original tone and practical focus intact.
Who it's for
- DevOps engineers looking for battle-tested configurations and deployment patterns without vendor fluff
- Platform teams evaluating infrastructure tools like OpenTofu, Terraform, and Tailscale for production use
- Self-taught sysadmins who prefer reading an engineer's problem-solving process over abstract documentation
Key features
Tailscale deep-dive
A practical walkthrough of Tailscale as a modern VPN alternative. The post directly contrasts the blog's 2017 Cisco ASA setup with FreeRADIUS and two-factor authentication, making a strong case for why you shouldn't build that kind of infrastructure anymore. It's a clear before-and-after comparison of VPN approaches.
GitHub Actions starter for AWS
A 60-line YAML template for AWS deployments using GitHub Actions — no long-lived access keys, no plaintext secrets, no magic. The post focuses on IAM roles and short-lived credentials, giving teams a production-ready starting point that eliminates common security pitfalls.
OpenTofu vs Terraform analysis
A considered answer to whether you should switch from Terraform to OpenTofu after HashiCorp's license change. The post acknowledges Terraform's MPL departure and evaluates the community fork on its own merits, helping readers make an informed decision about their infrastructure codebase.
Kubernetes credential management
A focused explanation of how EKS pods get AWS credentials without stuffing access keys into Kubernetes secrets. The post covers IAM roles for service accounts, solving a long-standing problem in Kubernetes cluster security with a clean, native AWS integration.
What stands out
"The respectful suggestion in 2026 is: don't do any of that anymore."
This line captures the blog's entire philosophy — it's not about showing off complex setups, but about saving you time by pointing to simpler, better solutions. Every post treats the reader as a colleague who deserves the honest, updated answer rather than the clever one. The writing assumes you're competent and just needs the straight path forward.
Worth checking out if…
You manage cloud infrastructure and want concise, practical guides on modern DevOps tooling — especially if you're evaluating Tailscale, migrating from Terraform to OpenTofu, or setting up secure AWS deployments with GitHub Actions. The Kubernetes and EKS content is particularly useful for teams moving away from manual credential management.
