Weekly Cloud Info #W21- 2025

Author

Walid LARABI
May 24, 2025

Hi!

Claude AI launches Opus 4 and Sonnet 4, setting new benchmarks in coding and reasoning. AWS and GCP roll out tools like Strands Agents, EKS Dashboard, and GKE Data Cache to simplify AI, Kubernetes, and database operations. k0s joins CNCF Sandbox, reinforcing its open-source Kubernetes journey and community collaboration.

Have a great read. ☕

📰 Top picks of the week

Claude AI Launches Powerful Models: Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 for Enhanced Coding and Reasoning

Claude AI has launched two new models, Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, enhancing coding and reasoning abilities. Opus 4 is labeled the best coding model globally, showing excellent performance in complex tasks. Both models can now use tools for improved responses and have new API features for developers. Pricing remains the same, with Sonnet 4 also available to free users.

k0s Joins CNCF Sandbox: A New Step for Kubernetes Usability and Community Collaboration

k0s, a lightweight and open-source Kubernetes distribution, has joined the CNCF as a Sandbox project. This milestone enhances its community engagement and support, aiming to improve Kubernetes usability from data centers to edge computing. The CNCF membership will foster collaboration and innovation for k0s while reinforcing its commitment to open governance. The k0s team looks forward to shaping the future of Kubernetes with community involvement.

AWS: Secure File Uploads with S3 Presigned URLs for Serverless Apps

This blog explains how to use Amazon S3 presigned URLs for secure file uploads in serverless applications. It outlines the workflow involving the client, API Gateway, and Lambda function. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of security measures to protect presigned URLs from unauthorized access. Techniques such as adding an MD5 checksum are recommended to enhance security during uploads.

AWS EKS Dashboard: Centralized Management for Kubernetes Clusters Across Regions and Accounts

AWS has launched EKS Dashboard, a centralized tool that allows cloud architects and administrators to monitor Kubernetes clusters across multiple regions and accounts. This dashboard offers insights into clusters, managed node groups, and EKS add-ons, simplifying visibility and management. Users can access it through the AWS Console with a straightforward setup process. The dashboard features advanced filtering and visualizations, making it easier to track cluster health and operational activities.

AWS Launches Product Lifecycle Page for Service Availability Updates

AWS has launched the AWS Product Lifecycle page, a centralized resource for tracking service availability changes. The page covers services closing to new customers, those announcing end of support, and those that have reached their end of support. Users can find end-of-support dates, migration paths, and documentation links for affected services. Key updates include Amazon Timestream restricting new customer access and several services, such as Amazon Pinpoint, announcing end of support.

AWS Launches Strands Agents: A Simplified Open Source SDK for AI Development

AWS has launched Strands Agents, an open-source SDK for building AI agents with minimal code. It simplifies agent development by using advanced models for planning and tool execution. Strands is supported by several companies and can run various models, allowing for customized agent behavior. Developers can easily test and deploy their agents in the cloud.

GCP Launches AI-Powered Database Center for Simplified Fleet Management

Google Cloud has launched Database Center, an AI-powered tool for managing database fleets more efficiently. It provides a unified interface for monitoring, optimization, and security across various databases. With its general availability, Database Center offers enhanced performance monitoring, intelligent recommendations, and support for databases like Cloud SQL and AlloyDB. New features include Gemini-assisted troubleshooting and customizable views for users.

GCP: Accelerate Performance with GKE Data Cache – Up to 480% More Transactions!

Google Cloud has launched GKE Data Cache, a solution for Google Kubernetes Engine that boosts data access speed for applications using persistent storage. By leveraging local SSDs to cache data, users can experience up to 480% more transactions per second and 80% lower latency with PostgreSQL. This enhancement significantly improves performance for read-intensive workloads without complex configurations. New users can get started with $300 in free credits for Google Cloud services.

GCP: Effortless Migration from Cassandra to Spanner with New API Support

Google Cloud has introduced a Cassandra-compatible API in Spanner, allowing for near-zero code-change migration, accompanied by tools for zero-downtime data migration. Spanner simplifies operations, offers optimized elastic scalability, and supports global ACID transactions, addressing the challenges of using Cassandra. Organizations may find Spanner reduces total cost of ownership and operational overhead. The migration can often be achieved with just a one-line code change.

GCP Update: Fixing AWS SDK Compatibility Issues with Google Cloud Storage

Google Cloud Storage (GCS) is compatible with AWS S3, but a recent update to the AWS SDK introduced default settings that may cause operations to fail when working with GCS. Users can fix this by adjusting the checksum configuration using environment variables or client settings. This change affects versions of the AWS SDK, including Boto3 and AWS CLI. Solutions include reverting to previous checksum parameters for compatibility.

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