In a discussion with Earthly's lead architect Corey Larson, the intricacies of building an internal platform using AWS and Kubernetes are explored, highlighting the challenges and trade-offs involved in customizing Kubernetes to suit specific needs. While Kubernetes serves as a foundational tool for deploying applications, its complexity necessitates selective use of its features to avoid unnecessary complications. The article delves into Kubernetes' lack of built-in monitoring and deployment processes, necessitating supplementary tools and strategies for effective production management. Ingress strategies, particularly the use of Traefik as an Ingress controller, are examined for their simplicity and effectiveness over alternatives like Nginx. The piece also touches on deployment strategies and the potential advantages of service meshes, though it notes a preference for more straightforward routing solutions due to the complex nature of service meshes. The conversation underscores the importance of declarative infrastructure and the benefits of testing new deployments in production environments using canary deployments for risk mitigation.