This journey is inspired by the belt system known from martial arts and is designed as a practical orientation and self-evaluation tool. It helps you understand which kinds of tasks are appropriate for your current level and which challenges might still be unrealistic at this stage.
The goal is not to create hierarchy or competition, but to provide guidance and clarity for your personal development.
To reflect the different skill sets required, the journey is intentionally split into two paths even though the long-term goal should be to develop a deep understanding of both.
Software Engineer Path
This journey represents a progression from beginner to expert through real-world contributions. Each belt reflects increasing ownership, system understanding, and architectural responsibility.
| Belt | Color | Requirements | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| White |  |
None | Entry level. Basic familiarity with Git, CLI, and development environments is expected or learned along the way. |
| Yellow |  |
Local dashboard.infinito.nexus setup |
Successfully set up and understood the local development environment, including services, dependencies, and debugging. |
| Orange |  |
First App with SSO merged | First application successfully integrated, including working SSO, and merged into the main branch. |
| Purple |  |
Second App with SSO merged | Demonstrates repeatability and growing independence with a second successful integration. |
| Blue |  |
Third App with SSO merged | Shows consistency, solid system understanding, and stable implementation practices. |
| Green |  |
New abstraction layer implemented/modified | Contributes to the platform itself by creating or enhancing an abstraction layer. |
| Brown |  |
Radical architectural design implemented | Designs and implements a significant architectural change with measurable system impact. |
| Black |  |
42 PRs reviewed and merged without breaking the system | Master level. Focus on code quality, reviews, mentoring, and maintaining system stability. |
Notes
- The journey emphasizes real contributions over theoretical knowledge.
- SSO integration serves as a consistent challenge involving security, integration, and system design.
- From Green Belt onward, the focus shifts from building features to shaping the system.
- The Black Belt represents not just technical skill, but responsibility, leadership, and long-term thinking.
Educational Journey for Administrators
System Administrator Path
This journey focuses on infrastructure, deployment, and operations. Each belt represents increasing responsibility in building, scaling, and maintaining reliable systems.
| Belt | Color | Requirements | Description | Measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | |
None | Entry level. Basic understanding of operating systems, networking, and command line fundamentals. | - Understands basic Linux commands (cd, ls, grep) - Understands IP, DNS, and ports - Can access a system via SSH |
| Yellow | |
Setup of a local test deployment | Ability to set up and run a complete local test deployment using the Infinito.Nexus framework. | - Runs dashboard.infinito.nexus locally- Successfully deploys at least one role - Can debug failing services - Documents setup |
| Orange | |
Single server deployment and permanent maintenance | Deploying and maintaining applications on a dedicated server using Infinito.Nexus. | - Deploys full stack on a remote server - Uses roles correctly (e.g. web-app roles) - Configures backups - System runs stable for ≥30 days |
| Purple | |
Raspberry Pi deployment and permanent maintenance | Deploying and maintaining services on ARM-based systems using Infinito.Nexus. | - Deploys roles on Raspberry Pi (ARM compatible) - Adjusts configs for limited resources - Ensures persistence works - System runs stable for ≥90 days |
| Blue | |
On-Premise system setup, permanent operation, and responsibility | Setting up and operating a full customer system on-premise using Infinito.Nexus. | - Deploys full customer stack - Configures domain, SSL, IAM (e.g. Keycloak) - Defines backup & recovery strategy - Operates system ≥180 days without critical failure |
| Green | |
Docker Swarm system setup, permanent operation, and responsibility | Running Infinito.Nexus in a distributed Docker Swarm environment | - Deploys roles in Swarm cluster - Uses service replication/scaling - Handles node failure - Maintains cluster ≥30 days stable |
| Brown | |
Kubernetes system setup, permanent operation, and responsibility | Operating Infinito.Nexus in a Kubernetes-based environment for a customer. | - Deploys apps via Kubernetes manifests/Helm (based on roles) - Uses Ingress, Secrets, ConfigMaps - Performs rolling updates - Handles failures - Stable ≥90 days |
| Black | |
Infrastructure as Code with Terraform | Fully automated infrastructure provisioning and deployment of Infinito.Nexus environments. | - Provisions infrastructure via Terraform (VMs, network, etc.) - Automatically deploys full stack after provisioning - Full environment reproducible from code - Version-controlled IaC |
Notes
- The journey emphasizes hands-on infrastructure experience using Infinito.Nexus over theoretical knowledge.
- Early stages focus on setting up and maintaining deployments, while later stages shift toward operating customer systems and taking responsibility.
- The transition from single systems → on-premise environments → clustered systems (Swarm/Kubernetes) reflects growing complexity and scalability requirements.
- Docker Swarm and Kubernetes introduce distributed system thinking, while Terraform adds full infrastructure automation and reproducibility.
- From the Blue Belt onward, the focus includes real customer environments, including operational, security, and legal responsibility.
- The Black Belt represents the ability to fully automate, reproduce, and operate complete platforms, ensuring long-term reliability and scalability.