DevOps Mastery: CI/CD Pipeline & Monitoring

Hello,

I am reaching out to you as part of a DevOps project for my Master’s thesis in Systems and Network Management.

Project context
I am working on implementing an automated solution for deploying, scaling, and managing containerized applications using Docker, Kubernetes, and Jenkins.
The objective is to move from a manual deployment process to a complete and reliable CI/CD pipeline, also integrating a Prometheus / Grafana monitoring stack.
The target architecture is already defined (Ubuntu VMs, Kubernetes cluster, dedicated Jenkins server, Docker registry, monitoring, etc.), as well as the general methodology. I have also written the theoretical section and most of the “Materials and Methods” section of my thesis.

Specific needs
I need practical support for:

Reviewing and finalizing the technical architecture

Validating design choices (VM sizing, role separation, network schema)

Providing simple optimization recommendations suitable for an SME

Creating and/or validating automated installation scripts for:

Docker on Linux nodes (Ubuntu 22.04)

Kubernetes (1 master / 2 workers cluster) using kubeadm or another suitable approach

Jenkins (installation, plugins, basic configuration)

Prometheus / Grafana monitoring stack inside the Kubernetes cluster

Ideally, I would like to have bash scripts:

install_docker.sh

install_k8s_cluster.sh (master init + workers join)

install_jenkins.sh

install_monitoring.sh

Support on the CI/CD part:

Review and improvement of an existing Jenkinsfile (Maven/Node build, Docker image build, push to registry, Kubernetes deployment)

Structuring Kubernetes manifests (Deployment, Service, HPA, etc.) for one or two sample services

Minimal documentation:

Some comments in the scripts

A short document (or README) explaining the execution order of the scripts, prerequisites, and key caveats

Current technical environment

Hypervisor: VMware

VM OS: Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS

Target versions (adjustable based on your recommendations):

Docker CE 24.x

Kubernetes 1.29.x

Jenkins 2.x LTS

Prometheus 2.x / Grafana 10.x

Expected deliverables

Installation and configuration scripts

A working Jenkins pipeline for a sample service (build + tests + image build/push + Kubernetes deployment)

An operational Kubernetes cluster with Prometheus / Grafana to visualize basic metrics

Some implementation notes (README or short document) allowing the procedure to be replayed and integrated into the practical section of my thesis.