Stepan Birukov, Developer in Odessa, Ukraine
Stepan is available for hire
Hire Stepan

Stepan Birukov

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Bio

Stepan is a site reliability engineer focusing on Linux automation, open source, and security. He has 7+ years of experience managing mission-critical Linux−based server clusters and network equipment. As an operations engineer, Stepan excels in Unix−based server platforms, internal Linux−based operation systems, Linux kernel, AWS services, and Google Cloud Platform.

Portfolio

Gemini Advisory
Kubernetes, Go, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Ansible, Helm, Flux CD, Terraform...
Provectus
Ansible, Terraform, Jenkins, JBoss, NGINX, ModSecurity...
RingCentral
Ansible, PostgreSQL, Jenkins, DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines, Python

Experience

  • Linux - 9 years
  • CI/CD Pipelines - 7 years
  • DevOps - 7 years
  • Ansible - 7 years
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) - 3 years
  • Kubernetes - 3 years
  • Terraform - 3 years
  • Google Cloud - 2 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Linux, Kubernetes, Open Source

The most amazing...

...thing I've developed is a set of tools to deploy complex cluster applications, allowing the business to scale correctly in many senses.

Work Experience

Operations Engineer

2020 - 2022
Gemini Advisory
  • Developed a Kubernetes infrastructure based on business needs.
  • Migrated the previously deployed services to the new Kubernetes infrastructure.
  • Improved the DevOps pipeline for faster development and release.
Technologies: Kubernetes, Go, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Ansible, Helm, Flux CD, Terraform, Envoy Proxy, Vault, Harbor, Single Sign-on (SSO), OpenID, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Shift-left Security, GitLab CI/CD, Prometheus, Apache Kafka, Grafana, Kibana, Elasticsearch, Beats, DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines, Docker, Google Cloud, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)

Operations Engineer

2017 - 2020
Provectus
  • Developed the deployment tools based on Ansible and Jenkins for complex JBoss-based web applications.
  • Implemented a self-hosted fault-tolerant load balancer solution.
  • Played a key role in migrating extensive infrastructure from on-premise installation to AWS cloud (over 1,000 hosts).
  • Implemented ModSecurity to harden web traffic protection for customers.
Technologies: Ansible, Terraform, Jenkins, JBoss, NGINX, ModSecurity, Amazon Web Services (AWS), DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines, Python, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)

Operations Engineer

2015 - 2017
RingCentral
  • Covered the existing infrastructure with Ansible playbooks and reorganized the security updates process based on mentioned playbooks.
  • Updated and supported the production and development environments continuously.
  • Contributed to miscellaneous projects by designing and implementing the CI process.
Technologies: Ansible, PostgreSQL, Jenkins, DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines, Python

Network Operations

2013 - 2015
Farlep-Invest (Vega Telecommunications Group)
  • Architected and supported mission-critical ISP services, including DNS, DHCP, and BRAS.
  • Provided support for hardware servers and miscellaneous equipment.
  • Optimized and supported network equipment, including ISP and MAN.
Technologies: Linux, Unix, DNS, Python

GitHub Blog

https://stepan111.github.io/
A place for combining all of my findings in IaC architecture, software design, and computer science. It may also contain topics about Terraform, testing, and automation tools. The blog is updated from time to time.

Load Balancing Solution

I developed a load balancing solution capable of passing through traffic for hundreds of customer environments for mid-to large-size enterprise customers. I was capable of architecture solutions based on open-source and cloud technologies, developing an automated process of configuration updates for client needs, configuring Web Application Firewall, and developing custom security profiles for various applications.

Deployment Framework for Oracle Cluster in AWS

I was deeply engaged in developing automated solutions to create Oracle DB clusters in AWS. During this project, I addressed infrastructure and network requirements and developed a pipeline to provide the required resources. Also, I was deeply involved in performance testing and tuning.

Automated Application Delivery with GitOps

I developed a company-wide delivery process based on the GitOps concept. I was responsible for improving the CI part of SDLC for multiple applications. Also, I created a secure connection between each component of the delivery system. Additional security checks were added to the pipeline. Also, I made a simple process for developers to update applications in test environments and, based on it, automated ways to update applications in a production environment.
2007 - 2012

Master's Degree in Computer Networking

Odessa National Telecommunications Academy - Odessa, Ukraine

DECEMBER 2021 - JANUARY 2023

Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist

CNCF

JANUARY 2020 - JANUARY 2023

Certified Kubernetes Administrator

CNCF

SEPTEMBER 2017 - PRESENT

CloudBees Jenkins Engineer

CloudBees

JULY 2017 - JULY 2022

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer

AWS

Libraries/APIs

OpenID, Jenkins Pipeline, Jenkins Job DSL

Tools

Ansible, Terraform, Helm, Jenkins, NGINX, Envoy Proxy, Vault, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), GitLab CI/CD, Grafana, Kibana

Paradigms

DevOps

Platforms

Linux, Kubernetes, Unix, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Docker, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Harbor, Apache Kafka, JBoss

Storage

Google Cloud, Elasticsearch, PostgreSQL

Languages

Go, Python

Other

CI/CD Pipelines, GitOps, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), Open Source, Networks, DNS, ModSecurity, Flux CD, Single Sign-on (SSO), Shift-left Security, Prometheus, Beats, VXLAN

Collaboration That Works

How to Work with Toptal

Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.

1

Share your needs

Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.
2

Choose your talent

Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.
3

Start your risk-free talent trial

Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.

Top talent is in high demand.

Start hiring