Cloud Native Rejekts NA 2025 - Expanding Your Toolbox: Beginners Guide to Controlling Kubernetes Logs

One of the really fun events around the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) flagship event KubeCon + CloudNativeCon is Cloud Native Rejekts. This event started by a Netherlands based organization, hence the unique Dutch spelling of the word rejects, and is meant to be a second chance for talks not accepted into the main CNCF event.

I love the idea of second chances and believe many of the talks given at Cloud Native Rejekts should have been in the main event. Since my transfer from the application development domains to the cloud native observability domain more than three years ago, I've never missed a single CFP for this event. 

In the past I've shared observability topics in a session on Perses,  a session providing OpenTelemetry insights, and a session on integrating Fluent Bit with OpenTelemetry including a live demo. For Rejekts NA I've been accepted for a cloud native story helping developers gain control of their logs in Kubernetes environments while within their inner development loop.

 Below you will find the session title, abstract, and location details for this London based event.

Mastering Fluent Bit: Developer Guide to Telemetry Pipeline Service Configuration

This series is a general purpose getting started guide for those of us wanting to learn about the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) project Fluent Bit. 

Each article in this series addresses a single topic by providing insights into what the topic is, why we are interested in exploring that topic, where to get started with the topic, and how to get hands-on with learning about the topic as it relates to the Fluent Bit project.

The idea is that each article can stand on its own, but that they also lead down a path that slowly increases our abilities to implement solutions with Fluent Bit telemetry pipelines.

Let's take a look at the topic of this article, using Fluent Bit tips and tricks for developers. In case you missed the previous article, check out using a Fluent Bit pipeline on a Kubernetes cluster to take control of all the logs being generated.

This article will be a hands-on tour of the things that help you as a developer testing out your Fluent Bit pipelines. We'll take a look at the services section of a developers telemetry pipeline configuration.

Cloud Native Manchester: Exploring the Power of Open Source Telemetry Pipelines, Fluent Bit Edition

I was going to speak in June at the Cloud Native Manchester meetup, but due to transit strikes in my country I was unable to make the trip over to Manchester. 

The meetup is described as, "A Northern outpost for all things Cloud Native - from Kubernetes to Etcd and everything in between... If you're interested in container orchestration and all its surrounding ecosystem, then we welcome you onboard!"

I love a new meetup and was super happy to be asked to speak, especially on my favorite topic, Fluent Bit! After discussing with the organizers what to do with my cancelled speaking slot, we optioned for me coming at the next meetup to be scheduled in September. 

So let's take a look at the coming event in September, tentatively set for Sep 25.

All Things Open 2025 - Cloud Metrics: The Cost-Value Equation

I missed the 2024 All Things Open, having last spoken in 2023, but I'm back this year at All Things Open in Raleigh, NC! 

I've always been a regular visitor to the All Things Open conferences, as they have a rock start organization since they started and put on a great annual event in the city of Raleigh. This year is the 13th edition and I've only been absent for a few across the pandemic years.

The selection committee was kind enough to select one of my favorite topics that I've been working on to address different audiences, but that helps you personally tell your stories effectively and move people to action.

Let's look at the abstract and details of my session.

Mastering Fluent Bit: Controlling Logs with Fluent Bit on Kubernetes

This series is a general purpose getting started guide for those of us wanting to learn about the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) project Fluent Bit. 

Each article in this series addresses a single topic by providing insights into what the topic is, why we are interested in exploring that topic, where to get started with the topic, and how to get hands-on with learning about the topic as it relates to the Fluent Bit project.

The idea is that each article can stand on its own, but that they also lead down a path that slowly increases our abilities to implement solutions with Fluent Bit telemetry pipelines.

Let's take a look at the topic of this article, using Fluent Bit to get control of logs on a Kubernetes cluster.

Devoxx UK 2025: Meet the New Kid in the Sandbox - Integrating Visualization with Prometheus (slides + recording)

Today, as previously posted, I was on stage at Devoxx UK in London. 

Over the years I've spoken at the Belgian and UK versions of Devoxx events. I've shared on topics covering application development, developer productivity, cloud development, and architecture. 

My last appearance was at Devoxx UK in 2022, so it was really fun to be back again in London with a topic near to my heart. I shared some good basic insights into Perses, a CNCF Sandbox level visualization and dashboard project.

This session is a lot of fun to explore and includes access to a free online project sandbox where you can play with the tooling. Not only that, you can make use of the free online workshop where you build everything hands-on from scratch and learn about the Perses dashboard and visualization experience.

Below I'll share my slides and recording.

Cloud Native London Meetup: Mastering Fluent Bit - Ultimate Guide to Integrating Telemetry Pipelines with OpenTelemetry (slides + recording)

As previously posted, I spoke today at the Cloud Native London meetup on the topic of mastering Fluent Bit. 

I really like the organization and the consistently high volume of smart attendees to test out my ideas. Again they proved why it's so fun to share my integration story with them about Fluent Bit and OpenTelemetry.

 Below you will find my slides from this evening, a link to the live stream that captured all my live demoing of Fluent Bit, OpenTelemetry, and Prometheus all working seamlessly together!

Mastering Fluent Bit: Installing and Configuring Fluent Bit on Kubernetes

This series is a general purpose getting started guide for those of us wanting to learn about the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) project Fluent Bit. 

Each article in this series addresses a single topic by providing insights into what the topic is, why we are interested in exploring that topic, where to get started with the topic, and how to get hands-on with learning about the topic as it relates to the Fluent Bit project.

The idea is that each article can stand on its own, but that they also lead down a path that slowly increases our abilities to implement solutions with Fluent Bit telemetry pipelines.

Let's take a look at the topic of this article, installing and configuring Fluent Bit on a Kubernetes cluster.

Tech Meetup Glasgow - Mastering Fluent Bit: Ultimate Guide to Integrating Telemetry Pipelines with OpenTelemetry (slides)

Today I was with my friends at the Tech Meetup in Glasgow, where I mentioned previously I'd be bringing a hands-on session on mastering Fluent Bit.

Last time over a year ago I was here to share insights into OpenTelemetry, but this time I wanted to bring a new project to the stage: Fluent Bit.

This meetup started in the Edinburgh area, but expanded into the Glasgow tech community. It welcomes people with all levels of experience, even if you are starting your journey into tech as a student, boot camper, or you're thinking of starting your development career, you are more than welcome.

I spent the evening sharing an introduction to Fluent Bit pipelines and OpenTelemetry Collector and most of the session on live demoing the complete integration story to showcase it from front to back.

My slides from the talk are available online below.