Andy focused on upgrade safety for the DataDog/cilium repository by developing a preflight validation command for Cilium ConfigMaps. This tool, implemented in Go and leveraging Kubernetes APIs, detects unrecognized keys in configuration files before upgrades, helping teams identify misconfigurations early in the deployment process. Andy’s work centered on DevOps best practices, integrating validation logic that fits seamlessly into existing upgrade workflows. Although the contribution was limited to a single feature over one month, the solution addressed a concrete operational risk and demonstrated a solid understanding of Go, Kubernetes, and configuration management within the context of large-scale cloud-native systems.