Giant Swarm is all about making your platform engineering smarter. We deliver world-class runtime capability through our Kubernetes Cluster Fleet Management, built on Cluster API, while also providing the essential tools a good platform team needs to operate their platform as smooth as cheesecake ..read more

This post explores why even well-intentioned platform engineering initiatives tend to result in teams becoming larger than expected over time. It examines the drivers behind this growth trap and provides strategies for rightsizing based on organizational needs. As more companies recognize the strategic importance of platform engineering, many are jumping in with the allure of starting small — the classic "two-pizza team" mindset. However, all too often these initiatives fall into the "platform trap" — where teams continuously grow way beyond initial projections. At Giant Swarm, we've seen ..read more

In the dynamic landscape of cloud native technologies, a standout trend emerges: platform engineering is the new cool kid in class! In the last few months alone, it’s hard to find a CNCF event without a spotlight on platform engineering. Notably, the 2024 KubeCon EU takes it a step further, dedicating a co-located event exclusively to this rising star. Why the buzz? Simply put, it’s the evolution of the DevOps mindset, now taking center stage to empower countless developer teams. At its core, platform engineering revolves around making developers’ lives significantly easier by b ..read more

If you're a marketer in 2024, it's only a matter of time before someone suggests a podcast. ? In fact, you might be working on your company's podcast right now, or listening to one as you cruise your inbox. Well, here at Giant Swarm, we've taken the podcast plunge ourselves. But our journey into the world of podcasting isn't your typical marketing strategy, or at least that's what we're telling ourselves. It's a story of experimentation and a genuine desire to connect in a more human way. Plus, it’s really fun to find a jingle on Fiverr each week…  We've always been a bit unconventional i ..read more

Since its inception in 2014, Giant Swarm has been 100% remote — not as an afterthought or a late-minute addendum but as part of its core (and I think very cool) founding philosophy.  An ever-evolving philosophy that challenges the status quo and invites us to do things better and differently, all while not taking itself too seriously. As our VP People Anna noted, “Being remote is just a form of organization. You need human structures and psychological safety regardless." 100% remote works for Giant Swarm because we 100% believe: People should do their best work, the company doesn’t need ..read more

As we soon celebrate our 10th birthday, we've been reflecting on what's driven us since those early days — a mission to make our customers happy. That founding spirit fuels our excitement for Giant Swarm Platform 3.0. This release is special because it marries the hard-earned knowledge we've gained from a decade of managing Kubernetes clusters in production with the most effective open source tools out there. It's not just about chasing trends; it's about taking a thoughtful, battle-tested approach to building a platform that truly works for you. Our decade has been defined by rolling up our s ..read more

The cloud and DevOps promised to make our infrastructure faster, cheaper and easier. However, in many organizations, this promise, unfortunately, fell short. Engineering teams find themselves trapped in a cycle of duplicating infrastructure, agonizing over the tools and components for each 'unique' use case, grappling with security concerns, and ultimately navigating the complex realm of operations. In some cases, disillusioned organizations are even retracting workloads from the cloud – a scenario exemplified by the well-known case of 37Signals. At the core of these challenges is Kubernetes ..read more

Hard to fathom we’re already a month into 2024! With the new year comes speculation about what’s on the horizon. Peeking around the corner at what’s next is one of my favorite pastimes. But before gazing farther ahead, it's worth glancing back… In retrospect, 2023 was a transformative year. We connected IRL at KubeCon, VMware Explore, re:Invent and ContainerConf. Internally, initiatives like Giant Mansions and our much-loved Onsite powered human connections despite dispersed teams. As per my now-annual tradition of making predictions to navigate the year ahead, let’s check the rearview to see ..read more

We’re embarking on an expedition through the archives of Giant Swarm’s blog.  We're dusting off our virtual time machines and donning our trusty Sherlock hats (aka looking at old links ?) to decode the mysteries hidden within our old blog posts. But hold on, this isn't a mere nostalgia trip; we're on a quest to uncover nuggets of wisdom and bring back some forgotten treasures. In a world that hurtles forward at lightning speed, it's all too easy to forget the paths we've walked. As we wander down memory lane, we'll catch glimpses of our growth and witness the winds of change that have sha ..read more

Being a 100% remote company for eight years and counting now, we’ve managed to pick up employees across the world. Situated in North America, South America, all across Europe, and even as far as South Korea! (Hey, Antonia ?) Not to be confused with our yearly onsites where the whole company gets together (previous locations including our own private island in Croatia, an eco-retreat in the mountains surrounding Barcelona, and most recently, a whole village in the South of France), the Giant Mansion focuses on our different teams getting together to focus on big rocks that they want to tackle a ..read more