I’m Vladimir Mikhalev, an AWS Community Builder, HashiCorp Ambassador, Snyk Ambassador, Cypress Ambassador, Notion Ambassador and Docker Captain, but my friends can call me Valdemar.
💾 I’ve been in the IT game for over 20 years, cutting my teeth with some big names like IBM, Thales, and Amazon. These days, I wear the hat of a DevOps Engineer and Team Lead, but what really gets me going is Docker and container technology - I’m kind of obsessed!
💛 I have my own IT blog, where I’ve built a community of DevOps enthusiasts who share my love for all things Docker, containers, and IT technologies in general. And to make sure everyone can jump on this awesome DevOps train, I write super detailed guides (seriously, they’re foolproof!) that help even newbies deploy and manage complex IT solutions.
🚀 My dream is to empower every single person in the DevOps community to squeeze every last drop of potential out of Docker and container tech.
🐳 As a Docker Captain, I’m stoked to share my knowledge, experiences, and a good dose of passion for the tech. My aim is to encourage learning, innovation, and growth, and to inspire the next generation of IT whizz-kids to push Docker and container tech to its limits.
At the Docker Captains Summit, Docker's CEO, Scott Johnston, acknowledged my exceptional leadership and contributions.
🎥 Watch the full video to see the transformative impact we're making!
Explore some of my key contributions to Docker's knowledge base and resources:
🐳 How to Build, Run, and Package AI Models Locally with Docker Model Runner – Learn how to run LLMs locally with Docker — no Python setup needed. Pull, package, and deploy GGUF models via CLI or API for fast, private AI workflows.
🐳 Master Docker and VS Code: Supercharge Your Dev Workflow – A practical guide to combining Docker and VS Code for faster development, consistent environments, seamless debugging, and streamlined CI/CD workflows.
🐳 Mastering Docker and Jenkins: Build Robust CI/CD Pipelines Efficiently – A comprehensive, hands-on tutorial demonstrating how to combine Docker’s containerization strengths with Jenkins’ automation capabilities. Learn best practices for faster builds, consistent testing, and streamlined deployments that supercharge your DevOps workflows.
🐳 How to Dockerize a React App: A Step-by-Step Guide for Developers – A clear, hands-on walkthrough that simplifies containerizing React applications, creating consistent environments, streamlining deployments, and elevating front-end workflows.
🐳 Why Testcontainers Cloud Is a Game-Changer Compared to Docker-in-Docker for Testing Scenarios – An insightful exploration of how Testcontainers Cloud enhances container-based testing while addressing the complexities of Docker-in-Docker, delivering a more secure and efficient alternative.
🐳 Dockerize WordPress: Simplify Your Site’s Setup and Deployment – A comprehensive guide to streamlining WordPress environments using Docker and Traefik, ensuring secure, scalable, and efficient site deployments.
🐳 8 Top Docker Tips & Tricks – Practical insights and advanced techniques designed to elevate your Docker expertise and productivity.
🐳 How Ataccama Accelerated Its AI Journey with Docker – A behind-the-scenes perspective on how Docker fueled Ataccama’s AI initiatives, boosting developer satisfaction and driving rapid innovation.
🐳 How a Beauty Giant Achieved 25% Cost Savings with Container-First Development – A revealing case study on how a major beauty brand leveraged Docker to optimize workflows, significantly cut costs, and improve operational efficiency.
Explore some of my key contributions to Cypress’s knowledge base and resources:
🧪 Cypress Test Replay in 2025: The Ultimate Guide to Time-Travel Debugging – Discover how Cypress Test Replay turns every CI run into an interactive debugging session with DOM snapshots, network logs, and console output—perfect for tackling complex modern UIs.
🧪 Docker + Cypress in 2025: How I’ve Perfected My E2E Testing Setup – A deep dive into optimizing Cypress testing within Docker containers, ensuring stability, parallelization, and security for modern CI/CD pipelines.
🕹️ Click into sre.gg — my virtual space is a 2D pixel-art portfolio inviting you to interact with elements that encapsulate the milestones of my DevOps career.
- 🎬 YouTube
- 🐦 X (Twitter)
- 🐘 Mastodon
- 🧵 Threads
- 🧊 Bluesky
- 🎥 TikTok
- 📣 daily.dev Squad
- 🧩 LeetCode
- 🐈 GitHub
- 👾 Discord
Show some 💜 by starring some of the repositories!
