# Vijay Kodam's Tech Blog

> Principal Engineer @ Nokia | AWS Community Builder | Expert in AWS, Kubernetes, EKS, and AI/ML | Hands-on technical content covering cloud architecture, DevOps, and emerging AI tooling. Co-author of deep-dives on LLM inference internals and local AI development on Apple Silicon.

## About

This is the personal blog of Vijay Kumar Kodam, a Principal Engineer specializing in cloud technology at Nokia, Finland, and an AWS Community Builder for 2025. The blog focuses on practical insights from production deployments of AWS services, Kubernetes, Amazon EKS, AI/ML technologies, and hands-on technical projects.

Vijay has extensive experience migrating enterprise 5G platforms to AWS, implementing cloud-native solutions, and building scalable systems using Amazon EKS, containers, and various AWS services. His expertise spans Cloud Architecture, SRE, DevOps, GitOps, and Systems Design.

## Core Technical Areas

### AWS & Cloud Architecture
- Amazon EKS implementation and optimization
- AWS service architecture and best practices  
- Cloud migration strategies for telecom workloads
- Production 5G platform deployment on AWS

### Kubernetes & Container Orchestration
- EKS Auto Mode implementation and insights
- Kubernetes cluster management and optimization
- Container orchestration for telecom applications
- Production Kubernetes deployment patterns

### AI/ML & Emerging Technologies
- Large Language Model (LLM) deployment on AWS
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) server development
- AI/ML infrastructure on Kubernetes with GPU support
- Generative AI application development

### Interactive Web Development
- Custom JavaScript applications and games
- Progressive web apps with real-time functionality
- Educational tools and calculators
- Browser-based audio/visual applications

## Featured Posts

### EKS & Kubernetes
- [First Impressions of EKS Auto Mode](https://vijay.eu/posts/eks-auto-first-impressions/) - Production review of EKS Auto Mode: node provisioning, Karpenter integration, and workload compatibility
- [EKS Auto Mode: 21-Day Maximum Node Lifetime](https://vijay.eu/posts/eks-auto-max-node-lifetime/) - How EKS Auto enforces node rotation and what it means for stateful workloads
- [Surprising Side Effect of Running EKS Auto Mode](https://vijay.eu/posts/surprising-side-effect-eks-auto/) - Unexpected behavior discovered in production when adopting EKS Auto Mode
- [ARC Zonal Shift in EKS](https://vijay.eu/posts/eks-arc-zonal-shift/) - Using AWS ARC Zonal Shift for high availability failover in EKS clusters
- [Pod Disruption Budget vs NodePool Disruption Budget](https://vijay.eu/posts/pod-disruption-budget-vs-nodepool-disruption-budget/) - Key differences between PDB and Karpenter NodePool disruption budget for safe node draining
- [Amazon EKS Capabilities](https://vijay.eu/posts/eks-capabilities/) - EKS managed service for ArgoCD, ACK, and kro with pricing and trade-off analysis

### LLM Deployment & Inference
- [Deploying LLMs on Amazon EKS using NVIDIA GPUs](https://vijay.eu/ai-lab/deploying-llm-on-eks-and-nvidia-gpu/) - End-to-end guide deploying Mistral 7B on EKS with Ray Serve and vLLM on GPU nodes
- [Running DeepSeek R1 Locally](https://vijay.eu/posts/running-deepseek-locally/) - Running DeepSeek R1 locally using Ollama with performance observations on Apple Silicon
- [New Metric to Measure the Efficiency of AI Models](https://vijay.eu/posts/new-llm-metric/) - Analysis of a new efficiency metric for comparing LLM performance beyond benchmark scores

### MCP & AI Agents
- [Built my first MCP Server for Kubernetes](https://vijay.eu/posts/building-my-first-mcp-server/) - Building a secure read-only Kubernetes MCP server from scratch
- [Official EKS MCP Server First Impressions](https://vijay.eu/posts/official-eks-mcp-server/) - Hands-on review of AWS's official EKS MCP Server capabilities
- [Generate AWS Architecture Diagrams using MCP and Amazon Q CLI](https://vijay.eu/posts/mcp-amazon-q-cli/) - Using AWS MCP server with Amazon Q CLI to auto-generate architecture diagrams
- [Built an AI Agent using Strands Agents SDK](https://vijay.eu/posts/built-an-ai-agent/) - AI agent that debugs Kubernetes issues using Strands SDK and MCP server

### Claude Code & Local AI Tooling
- [Claude Code Agentic CLI Demo](https://vijay.eu/posts/claude-code-demo/) - Hands-on demo of Claude Code CLI with cost analysis and impressions on local LLM alternatives
- [Creating a Decibel Meter using Claude Code](https://vijay.eu/posts/decibel-meter-using-claude-code/) - Building an interactive browser-based decibel meter with Claude Code assistance
- [My Honest Take on Kiro, AI IDE from AWS](https://vijay.eu/posts/my-honest-take-on-kiro/) - Unbiased review of AWS's Kiro AI IDE compared to other AI coding tools

## Co-authored Posts

- [I Ran an 80B Coding Model Locally with Claude Code](https://vijay.eu/co-authored/80b-coding-model-locally-claude-code-ollama/) - Troubleshooting a slow Claude Code + Ollama setup on Apple Silicon: diagnosing bottlenecks and optimizing local LLM inference
- [LLM Inference Internals: KV Cache, Flash Attention, and Optimizing for Apple Silicon](https://vijay.eu/co-authored/llm-inference-internals-apple-silicon/) - Deep dive into LLM inference mechanics: KV cache math, attention complexity, and tuning inference engines on Apple Silicon
- [Monitoring Claude Code with Apple Containers Instead of Docker](https://vijay.eu/co-authored/claude-code-monitoring-apple-containers/) - Setting up Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenTelemetry for Claude Code using Apple Containers on macOS

## Interactive Projects

The blog features unique interactive web applications built with vanilla JavaScript:

- **[Decibel Meter](https://vijay.eu/projects/decibel-meter/)** - Real-time audio level measurement tool with child-friendly voice level guidance
- **[Fitness Calculator](https://vijay.eu/projects/fitness-calculator/)** - Comprehensive health and fitness calculation suite
- **[Flag Game](https://vijay.eu/projects/flag-game/)** - Educational country flag identification game with 200+ flags
- **[Markdown Editor](https://vijay.eu/projects/markdown-editor/)** - Live markdown editor with real-time preview
- **[Snake Game](https://vijay.eu/projects/snake-game/)** - Classic snake game implementation
- **[Medal Tally](https://vijay.eu/projects/medal-tally/)** - Olympic medal tracking system
- **[My IP](https://vijay.eu/projects/my-ip/)** - Check your public IP address and network info
- **[Tic Tac Toe](https://vijay.eu/projects/tic-tac-toe/)** - Playable tic tac toe game
- **[Word Ladder](https://vijay.eu/projects/word-ladder/)** - Word puzzle game

## Professional Context

- **Current Role**: Principal Engineer, Cloud Technology @ Nokia, Finland
- **AWS Community Builder** for 2025 (Containers & Serverless)
- **Certifications**: AWS Solutions Architect Associate, CKA, CKAD, AI/ML certifications
- **Industry Focus**: Telecom, 5G, Cloud-Native Applications, Enterprise AI/ML

## Technical Approach

Content emphasizes:
- Production-ready implementations over theoretical concepts
- Hands-on tutorials with working code examples
- Real-world challenges and solutions from enterprise deployments
- Performance optimization and cost management strategies
- Security best practices for cloud-native applications

## Contact & Links

- **Blog**: https://vijay.eu
- **GitHub**: https://github.com/vijaykodam/
- **LinkedIn**: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijaykodam/
- **DEV Community**: https://dev.to/vijaykodam

---

## Machine-readable index

[BEGIN JSONL]
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/eks-auto-first-impressions/","title":"First Impressions of EKS Auto Mode","section":"posts","date":"2024-12-04","tags":["EKS","Kubernetes","AWS","EKSAuto"],"summary":"Production review of EKS Auto Mode covering node provisioning, Karpenter integration, and workload compatibility observations."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/eks-auto-max-node-lifetime/","title":"EKS Auto Mode: 21-Day Maximum Node Lifetime","section":"posts","date":"2024-12-12","tags":["EKS","Kubernetes","AWS","EKSAuto"],"summary":"How EKS Auto Mode enforces a 21-day maximum node lifetime and what this means for stateful workloads in production."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/surprising-side-effect-eks-auto/","title":"Surprising Side Effect of Running EKS Auto Mode","section":"posts","date":"2025-01-21","tags":["EKS","Kubernetes","AWS","EKSAuto"],"summary":"Unexpected behavior discovered in production when adopting EKS Auto Mode, with analysis and workarounds."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/eks-arc-zonal-shift/","title":"ARC Zonal Shift in EKS","section":"posts","date":"2024-12-30","tags":["EKS","Kubernetes","AWS","HighAvailability"],"summary":"Using AWS Application Recovery Controller Zonal Shift for high availability failover in EKS clusters."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/pod-disruption-budget-vs-nodepool-disruption-budget/","title":"Pod Disruption Budget vs NodePool Disruption Budget","section":"posts","date":"2025-03-02","tags":["EKS","Kubernetes","Karpenter","NodePool"],"summary":"Key differences between Kubernetes PDB and Karpenter NodePool disruption budget for controlling safe node draining."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/eks-capabilities/","title":"Amazon EKS Capabilities","section":"posts","date":"2025-12-01","tags":["EKS","Kubernetes","AWS"],"summary":"Comprehensive overview of Amazon EKS feature set and capabilities across networking, storage, security, and operations."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/ai-lab/deploying-llm-on-eks-and-nvidia-gpu/","title":"Deploying LLMs on Amazon EKS using NVIDIA GPUs","section":"ai-lab","date":"2025-05-11","tags":["EKS","LLM","NVIDIA","GPU","vLLM","RayServe"],"summary":"End-to-end guide for deploying Mistral 7B on Amazon EKS using NVIDIA GPU nodes, Ray Serve, and vLLM for inference."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/running-deepseek-locally/","title":"Running DeepSeek R1 Locally","section":"posts","date":"2025-01-29","tags":["LLM","DeepSeek","Ollama","LocalAI"],"summary":"Running DeepSeek R1 locally using Ollama with performance observations and configuration tips for Apple Silicon."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/new-llm-metric/","title":"New Metric to Measure the Efficiency of AI Models","section":"posts","date":"2025-01-28","tags":["LLM","AI","Benchmarks","Efficiency"],"summary":"Analysis of a new efficiency metric for comparing LLM performance that goes beyond standard benchmark scores."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/building-my-first-mcp-server/","title":"Built my first MCP Server for Kubernetes","section":"posts","date":"2025-05-14","tags":["MCP","Kubernetes","AI","Agents"],"summary":"Building a secure read-only Kubernetes MCP server from scratch using the Model Context Protocol specification."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/official-eks-mcp-server/","title":"Official EKS MCP Server First Impressions","section":"posts","date":"2025-05-30","tags":["MCP","EKS","AWS","Agents"],"summary":"Hands-on review of AWS's official EKS MCP Server: capabilities, limitations, and comparison with a custom-built server."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/mcp-amazon-q-cli/","title":"Generate AWS Architecture Diagrams using MCP and Amazon Q CLI","section":"posts","date":"2025-05-04","tags":["MCP","AmazonQ","AWS","Diagrams"],"summary":"Using the AWS MCP server with Amazon Q CLI to automatically generate AWS architecture diagrams from natural language."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/built-an-ai-agent/","title":"Built an AI Agent using Strands Agents SDK","section":"posts","date":"2025-07-07","tags":["AI","Agents","AWS","StrandsSDK"],"summary":"AI agent that debugs Kubernetes issues using AWS Strands Agents SDK and the Kubernetes MCP server."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/claude-code-demo/","title":"Claude Code Agentic CLI Demo","section":"posts","date":"2025-02-24","tags":["ClaudeCode","AI","CLI","Agents"],"summary":"Demonstrating Claude Code's agentic capabilities for real-world software engineering tasks via the CLI."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/decibel-meter-using-claude-code/","title":"Creating a Decibel Meter using Claude Code","section":"posts","date":"2025-03-13","tags":["ClaudeCode","JavaScript","WebAudio","AI"],"summary":"Building an interactive browser-based decibel meter with real-time audio visualization using Claude Code assistance."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/posts/my-honest-take-on-kiro/","title":"My Honest Take on Kiro, AI IDE from AWS","section":"posts","date":"2025-07-17","tags":["Kiro","AWS","AI","IDE"],"summary":"Unbiased review of AWS's Kiro AI IDE: features, strengths, limitations, and how it compares to other AI coding tools."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/co-authored/80b-coding-model-locally-claude-code-ollama/","title":"I Ran an 80B Coding Model Locally with Claude Code","section":"co-authored","date":"2026-02-14","tags":["ClaudeCode","Ollama","LLM","AppleSilicon","LocalAI"],"summary":"Troubleshooting a slow Claude Code + Ollama setup running an 80B model on Apple Silicon: diagnosing inference bottlenecks and optimizing throughput."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/co-authored/llm-inference-internals-apple-silicon/","title":"LLM Inference Internals: KV Cache, Flash Attention, and Optimizing for Apple Silicon","section":"co-authored","date":"2026-02-14","tags":["LLM","Inference","KVCache","FlashAttention","AppleSilicon"],"summary":"Deep dive into LLM inference mechanics: KV cache math, attention complexity, and tuning vLLM and Ollama for Apple Silicon unified memory."}
{"url":"https://vijay.eu/co-authored/claude-code-monitoring-apple-containers/","title":"Monitoring Claude Code with Apple Containers Instead of Docker","section":"co-authored","date":"2026-02-20","tags":["ClaudeCode","AppleContainers","Prometheus","Grafana","OpenTelemetry"],"summary":"Setting up a local Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenTelemetry monitoring stack for Claude Code using Apple Containers on macOS instead of Docker Desktop."}
[END JSONL]

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of Vijay Kodam and do not reflect the views of his employer.