Building the cloud-native community in Sri Lanka

As an AWS Community Builder and the founding chairperson of CryptX, I organize meetups, judge national competitions, and mentor the next generation of engineers.

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Strengthened by Academic and Enterprise Collaboration

Leadership & Volunteering

Leadership

Founder of CryptX - Sri Lanka's Biggest Tech Triathon

Chairperson

ICTS - Information and Communication Technology Society, University of Sri Jayewardenepura

I am honoured to be the event chair at the Japura CryptX 1.0 which is Sri Lanka's First ever solo day Hackathon + Designathon + CTF. Again this is the University of Sri Jayewardenepura's first ever CTF. The event was a open competition including the 3 events as mentioned before. When talking about the players, there were a totally nice mix of both government and non governmental universities in Sri Lanka. There were over 350+ applications received for the first round and 160+ members are selected to the final round on University premises. In this huge work I have only left less than 1 month and need to cover a huge budget, cover a wide technical expertise, gather a vast variety of human power managing HR, Finance , Media & Marketing and Program & Event Teams handling over 75+ my members. Achieve goals to specific deadlines and keeping the overall event quality In a very high value were my main goals of this event. Instead of quantity I admire the quality. Therefore the overall event was a blossom and it successfully happened at the Faculty of Technology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura on 15th of February 2025. In summary, this is not an individual achievement, but due to all the team members of my organizing committee, we were able to do this in the best way.Read more

Volunteering

Beauty of Cloud - Sri Lanka's First Cloud Hackathon

Resource Person & Judge

University of Sri Jayewardenepura

I was honored to be invited as a resource person for Beauty of Cloud, Sri Lanka’s first-ever cloud hackathon hosted by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. I delivered an online session to 350+ participants covering modern web development, deployment, and server management. Later, I participated in the grand finale as a judge and volunteer, supporting the success of this landmark event—the first cloud hackathon organized by a Sri Lankan university.Read more

Volunteering

Getting into the Cloud with AWS

Guest Speaker & Workshop Trainer

IEEE CS Student Branch Chapter - University of Sri Jayewardenepura

I joined with IEEE CS Student Branch Chapter - University of Sri Jayewardenepura and conducted "Getting into the Cloud with AWS" session and there were over 300+ students from Sri Lanka. I shared my AWS knowledge with them and improved their enthusiasm as well as knowledge. Also I giveaway 750$ AWS credits as an AWS Community Builder to them.Read more

Volunteering

Building Production Ready Scalable Container Solutions

Guest Speaker

FOSS Community, University of Kelaniya

I was invited to deliver a workshop to the students of University of Kelaniya's FOSS (Free and Open Source Community) on AWS. Their I accepted the invite and thought of doing something different than typical sessions. There I organized a 100% practical workshop style session and I demonstrated lively how to use AWS ECS Service and how to build a CICD Pipeline using AWS Native CICD Solution - Code Pipeline in aligning with the CodeBuild. The students showed very curiosity and enthusiasm during the event and I am very happy because I were able to give some valuable knowledge to them as well as the curiosity in their mind to continue and work on the cloud domain.Read more

Volunteering

Resource Person & Guest Speaker | Web Wizards

Resource Person, Workshop Trainer & Guest Speaker

University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

I collaborated with the Leo Club of the University of Moratuwa to conduct an insightful two-month Web Development Bootcamp designed for school students across Sri Lanka, particularly those in rural areas who face barriers to quality learning opportunities. The primary objective of this program was to deliver valuable technical knowledge in an engaging and practical manner, inspiring students to develop a genuine passion for technology. Through this initiative, I aimed to motivate young learners to pursue self-learning, set ambitious goals, and work diligently toward becoming impactful contributors to the future of Sri Lanka’s digital landscape.Read more

Volunteering

Judge - IDEALIZE 2025, AIESEC in University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Judge

University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

I had the honor of serving as a judge at IDEALIZE 2025, the flagship innovation and leadership event organized by AIESEC in the University of Moratuwa. As part of this inspiring initiative, I evaluated over 15+ proposals submitted by passionate and creative undergraduates from universities across Sri Lanka. Each submission reflected a deep commitment to innovation, sustainability, and technological advancement. Being part of this event allowed me to contribute to shaping the future of Sri Lanka's innovation landscape, by supporting youth-led ideas and empowering emerging leaders. It was truly rewarding to witness firsthand the remarkable talent and visionary thinking of the next generation of changemakers. IDEALIZE, now in its fifth edition, is one of Sri Lanka’s most dynamic student-led innovation platforms, bringing together over 2,000+ participants. Organized by AIESEC – the world’s largest youth-led leadership development organization – this initiative continues to foster cross-cultural collaboration, bold ideas, and responsible leadership among young people across the country.Read more

Social Media that Changed Me & You

YouTube Channel

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Posts and updates on cloud, DevOps, and community.

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Latest from the blog

Blog

2025-12-28

Using Sealed Secrets in Kubernetes

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Recently I tried out a very secure way to pass secrets in k8s. That is sealed secrets. What is happening here is that it encrypts the data and its hidden in kubernetes cluster itself. Kubernetes Sealed Secrets work by using asymmetric encryption (public/private key pair) to securely store encrypted Kubernetes Secret data in a Git repository. Only the Sealed Secrets controller running within the target Kubernetes cluster can decrypt the secret data and turn it into a usable, standard Kubernetes Secret.Read more

Getting Started with GitOps/FluxCD on Kubernetes

Blog

2025-12-27

Getting Started with GitOps/FluxCD on Kubernetes

gitops

Hi Cloud natives, I recently started with working with kubernetes and one of the problems that I encountered was the manual deployments into K8s cluster(unless in a CI/CD’s CD Pipleine configured). The solution is simple, it is using GitOps. There are several tools that we can used for this. ArgoCD is one of the option. But I found a more easy but powerful way; that is FluxCD.Read more

Blog

2025-12-25

Getting Started with Terragrunt

terraform

I hope you heard the IaC tool — Terraform. So recently I got an experience to use an awesome tool related to terraform. That is the terragrunt. It is a thin wrapper arround terraform. The reason we use terragrunt is by using this we can manage our terraform code more easily, specially when we are working with multiple environments (dev, test, pre-prod, prod), accounts or regions. So simply what is happening here is that it removes the burdens with duplication, configuration and state management.Read more

Talks & engagements

Community meetups, university sessions, and competition judging, wherever it moves the community forward.

The Reality of IT Industry with Tharindu Kalhara

Talk

14 August 2026

The Reality of IT Industry with Tharindu Kalhara

Podcast

YouTube

What Industry Experts Say

“I have known Tharindu Kalhara for some time, and what stands out the most is his unwavering commitment and dedication to everything he pursues. Tharindu has a remarkable ability to work well with others, fostering an environment of trust and collaboration. He is the kind of person who always puts in the extra effort to ensure that goals are met and that those around him are supported in their efforts as well. Tharindu’s dedication is admirable; he is known for being dependable and passionate, with a strong focus on making a positive impact. Even though I haven’t had the opportunity to work directly with him, I have no doubt that his team spirit and drive for success make him an exceptional professional. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for someone who embodies teamwork, commitment, and a strong sense of purpose.”

Damith Jayasinghe

Chief Operating Officer at Gensoft

“Tharindu was a valuable member of our team. In his role an Associate, Tharindu consistently demonstrated professionalism, reliability, and strong performance. He was contributing positively to our projects and workplace. I recommend Tharindu for any future opportunities he pursue.”

Piyumi Sithara Hansamali

Assistant Manager - HR | HR Generalist

“Tharindu had worked with me on the same organization where he showed tremendous commitment and hard working skills on his allocated work load. As a new employee on the organization he had adopted to the working environment very easily and improved himself in a quick succession. He was a quick learner & a good team player who we allocated to manage a small group of employees with regard to his ability to perform under pressure and skill set he had in people management. All and all he would be a "great asset" to any company who will be looking to hire him.”

Praveena Nirmana

Manager - Cluster Operations at OREL IT

“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Tharindu for a while, and I can confidently say that he possesses a vast amount of knowledge and hands-on experience in cloud, DevOps, and software engineering. He has a strong technical foundation and is always eager to explore and work with various technologies. What truly sets Tharindu apart is his friendly and approachable nature, making him a great teammate and someone who’s very easy to work with. He is a hardworking individual who is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others through platforms like LinkedIn and YouTube, helping many in the tech community grow and learn. I highly recommend Tharindu to anyone looking to work with a skilled, dedicated, and collaborative professional.”

Koshila Sandaru

Cloud Engineer @ NEXT

“It is a pleasure to recommend Tharindu Kalhara, who reported to me during his tenure at Orel IT. During his time with the team, Tharindu consistently stood out for his proactive approach and technical agility. He is a remarkably fast learner; regardless of the complexity of a project or a new toolset, he was able to get up to speed quickly and deliver results with minimal supervision. Beyond his technical capabilities, Tharindu is a self-motivated professional who takes true ownership of his work. He doesn't just wait for instructions; he looks for ways to improve processes and add value. He is also a natural team player—the kind of person who elevates the group’s morale and is always willing to support his colleagues to meet a deadline. Tharindu would be a significant asset to any organization looking for a dedicated, quick-thinking, and collaborative professional. I am confident he will excel in any challenge he pursues.”

Kaushalya Ranasinghe

Head of Operations | Senior Program & Transformation Leader

“Tharindu is someone who is not only technically curious but also has the drive. He explained the intricacies of getting my start with YouTube, and his level of patience and knowledge is hard to find. As someone who has worked with many students looking to break into the software engineering industry, I can confidently say that Tharindu is someone with the enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge that differentiates him from the rest. I believe Tharindu is more than ready for any task in the realm of Software Engineering, Cloud, or DevOps.”

Heshan Perera

Senior Security Engineer

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Tharindu and have been consistently impressed by his dedication and talent.Tharindu has a great attitude towards teamwork and is always ready to take on challenges and manage responsibilities beyond expectations. His ability to quickly grab complex concepts and combined with his positive mindset make him an asset to any team.”

Achintha Bandaranaike

Associate Tech Lead at MillenniumIT ESP

“Tharindu is a passionate Cloud and DevOps professional with a remarkable drive for learning and sharing knowledge. His commitment to simplifying complex cloud concepts and empowering others through training and community work is truly inspiring. With strong expertise across AWS, Azure, and automation, Tharindu continues to make a real impact in the tech ecosystem.”

Dulan Herath

Software Engineer - AI

“I had the pleasure of collaborating with Tharindu Kalhara on an educational YouTube video series, and it was truly an inspiring experience. Tharindu is an exceptionally passionate and creative individual who continuously pushes the boundaries of educational content creation. His ability to transform complex topics into engaging and meaningful discussions reflects both his deep knowledge and his genuine commitment to sharing learning with others. What stands out most about Tharindu is his professionalism, clarity in communication, and the positive energy he brings to every collaboration. I highly recommend Tharindu to anyone looking to work with a forward-thinking content creator who blends education, creativity, and impact seamlessly. It’s been a privilege working with him, and I look forward to seeing his continued success in shaping meaningful educational conversations.”

Dhananjaya Lahiru Bandara

Academic in Engineering and Computing

“I’ve had the pleasure of advising Tharindu, a talented software engineering student, on his career path. Throughout our interactions, he has demonstrated a strong work ethic, a keen interest in learning, and a commitment to his personal and professional growth. Tharindu is a responsible individual who takes initiative in his learning and always strives to improve his skills. His passion for software engineering is evident, and he consistently shows dedication to mastering new concepts and techniques. I’ve been impressed by his ability to grasp complex topics and apply them in practical ways. He’s a quick learner, proactive in seeking advice, and always ready to take on new challenges. I would highly recommend Tharindu for any organization looking for a bright, responsible, and driven software engineer. His technical skills, combined with his passion and responsibility, make him a great asset to any team.”

Ishani Nuwanthika

Senior QA Engineer @Axiata Digital Labs

“I had the privilege of working alongside Tharindu while handling different responsibilities, and I truly value the collaborative experience we shared. Even though I am not from a strong DevOps and cloud background, it was clear to me that his potential in this field is outstanding. He is an exceptionally talented undergraduate with a strong passion for DevOps and cloud, already well-recognized in the Sri Lankan tech community. His curiosity to learn and experiment is remarkable, and the depth of his domain knowledge at such an early stage of his career is truly impressive. Tharindu manages multiple tasks in parallel with excellent time management, focus, and the ability to perform under pressure. He is also a skilled instructor who shares knowledge effectively and supports others generously. I am genuinely happy to see how far he has come already, and I confidently recommend him as a valuable team player and an outstanding young professional who will be an asset to any organization.”

Dulanga Kalhari

Key Account Manager

“It's my immense pleasure to recommend Tharindu, His passion towards growing community and himself too, towards Cloud and DevOps is commendable. I wish him the very best of luck for his career endeavours. I vouch for him.”

Sourav Saha

Manager, IT Infrastructure & Cloud Operations @ MSM Unify

“I am pleased to recommend Tharindu Kalhara, who has been an exceptional Associate Image Processor on our team. He consistently maintains the highest standards of project quality, ensuring that all deliverables meet or exceed expectations. Tharindu Kalhara is adept at working within tight timelines, demonstrating remarkable efficiency and dedication to meeting deadlines. His adherence to industry standards and workplace ethics is commendable, reflecting a strong commitment to professional integrity. Moreover, Tharindu Kalhara possesses excellent communication skills, facilitating seamless collaboration within the team. He is also proactive in learning new technologies, which has been invaluable in keeping our projects innovative and up-to-date. I am confident that Tharindu Kalhara will continue to be a valuable asset to any team he join, and I highly recommend him for any future opportunities.”

Ashan Rathnayake

Project Manager at Colsoftware

“I had the privilege of working with Tharindu as an IT Business analyst, where Tharindu consistently impressed me with his technical skills and expertise in data analysis. He was always able to find innovative solutions to complex technical problems, demonstrating a strong ability to work well under pressure and handle multiple projects. Tharindu was also able to effectively communicate technical information to non-technical stakeholders, making Tharindu a valuable asset to any team. I highly recommend Tharindu & wish him every success in his future endeavors!”

Niluka Ranchagoda

Senior Consultant | Business Analyst

Damith Jayasinghe

Chief Operating Officer at Gensoft

Piyumi Sithara Hansamali

Assistant Manager - HR | HR Generalist

Praveena Nirmana

Manager - Cluster Operations at OREL IT

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