Consistency Without Abstraction: Building a Multi-Cloud Infrastructure Framework with Project Planton

Overview

What if deploying a PostgreSQL database to AWS RDS, GCP Cloud SQL, or a Kubernetes cluster felt the same—same YAML structure, same CLI command, same validation workflow—without hiding cloud-specific power?

This talk introduces Project Planton, an open-source multi-cloud infrastructure framework that brings Kubernetes-style consistency to infrastructure deployments. Through live demos, we'll deploy different infrastructure components (Postgres, Redis, Kafka) across multiple clouds using a single CLI, then dive into the architectural decisions behind the framework.

What You'll Learn

1. Value Through Live Demos (10 minutes)

Deploy PostgreSQL to Kubernetes, AWS RDS, and GCP Cloud SQL
Same CLI command, same workflow, different clouds
Validation catching errors before deployment
Compare deployment times and developer experience

2. The Backstory (5 minutes)

10 years of DevOps: constantly rebuilding the same patterns
The insight: 80% of use cases need only 20% of cloud capabilities
Why build an open-source framework instead of more one-off scripts

3. Architectural Deep Dive (10 minutes)

Why Protocol Buffers over raw YAML (validation, multi-language SDKs)
Why simple CLI + Pulumi/Terraform over Kubernetes operators
Why dual Pulumi/Terraform support (choice > dogma)
The "deployment component" concept (API + IaC + docs + examples)

4. Crossplane Comparison (5 minutes)

Crossplane: YAML-driven, requires Kubernetes cluster, reconciler loops
Project Planton: YAML-driven, works anywhere, uses Pulumi/Terraform
When to use each (spoiler: both have valid use cases)

Key Takeaways

Attendees will leave understanding:

✅ How to provide consistent multi-cloud experience without losing provider-specific power
✅ Why validation-first deployments catch 90%+ of errors before cloud APIs
✅ The tradeoffs between Kubernetes-operator-based vs CLI-based infrastructure frameworks
✅ How Project Planton's 100+ deployment components work
✅ When to use Crossplane vs Project Planton vs raw IaC
✅ How to contribute to Project Planton (it's open source!)

Target Audience

Primary: Platform engineers building internal developer platforms
Secondary: DevOps engineers, SREs, cloud architects
Tertiary: Developers interested in infrastructure tooling

Assumed knowledge:

Basic understanding of cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP/Azure)
Familiarity with Kubernetes concepts
Awareness of IaC tools (Terraform/Pulumi)
No Crossplane experience required

Format

Duration: 25-30 minutes (20 min talk + 5-10 min Q&A)
Style: Demo-first approach with live deployments
Interactive: Q&A and discussion encouraged

Key Philosophy

Consistency ≠ Abstraction

You can have unified experience without hiding provider differences. The manifests are provider-specific (AWS RDS configuration ≠ GCP Cloud SQL configuration), but the experience is identical.

Core Principles:

Consistency over clever abstractions → Don't hide cloud providers, unify the experience
Pragmatic defaults over blank slates → Battle-tested configurations that work
Developer experience as a first-class feature → One click, one platform, no archaeology
Validation-first deployments → Catch 90%+ of errors before calling cloud APIs

About the Speaker

Swarup Donepudi is a platform engineering entrepreneur and founder of PlantonCloud, a multi-cloud Internal Developer Platform serving production customers today. As creator of Project Planton—an open-source multi-cloud framework with 100+ deployment components—Swarup is passionate about reducing cognitive overhead in modern cloud deployments.

With 10+ years architecting DevOps infrastructure at scale, he believes in "consistency without abstraction": providing unified developer experience while preserving provider-specific power. His work focuses on making enterprise-grade platform engineering accessible to teams of all sizes through validation-first deployments, Protocol Buffers-based APIs, and the 80/20 principle applied to infrastructure.

Connect:

GitHub: github.com/project-planton/project-planton
Website: project-planton.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/swarupdonepudi

Why This Talk Matters:

Demo-first approach → Immediate value, not abstract concepts
Clear differentiation → Explains how it's different from Crossplane
Architectural depth → Appeals to technical CNCF audience
Open source angle → Invites community participation
Practical lessons → Based on real-world experience (10 years)
No vendor pitch → Educational, not sales-y