Cloud Engineer

Cloud Engineer vs. DevOps Engineer: Overview, Similarities & Differences

The emergence of cloud computing, agile development, and containerization technologies has redefined IT job roles.

Because these technologies overlap, titles and responsibilities for those implementing them are different across the board. Sometimes you’ll see different titles with the same responsibilities or the same responsibilities with different titles.

Two titles/roles that are often mistaken for one another are Cloud engineer and DevOps engineer. Although the two roles are different, they share some common ground. A few tasks and responsibilities can be the same for both jobs.

This article looks into the key differences and similarities between these roles to help you determine the best fit for you.

What is DevOps Engineering?

Before we define what a DevOps engineer does, we'll define what DevOps is.

What is DevOps?

DevOps stands for Development and Operations. It is a set of practices that aims to shorten the software development lifecycle and speed the delivery of higher-quality software. It does this by breaking down silos and combining and automating the work of software development teams and IT operations teams.

DevOps teams use agile methodologies, continuous integration, and continuous delivery (CI/CD) tools, cloud services, and other technologies to collaborate and deliver software products or services.

To understand the fundamentals of DevOps, ENROLL in our DevOps Course:

Who is a DevOps Engineer?

A DevOps engineer is a professional whose responsibility is centered around creating a set of automated processes called pipelines where code can be automatically tested, built, and deployed to production for end-users. They're also partly responsible for monitoring applications and parts of the company's infrastructure.

DevOps Engineers work closely with development teams and IT operations teams to automate processes and tools and are experts in a variety of technologies and tools, such as cloud computing, virtualization, and automation tools. They basically create an efficient production line for software.

As you can see, DevOps Engineers are involved in a lot of things in the organization. They have a very long list of responsibilities.

What is a Cloud Engineering?

Before we define what a cloud engineer does, we'll define what cloud computing is.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing services, including servers, storage, databases, software, networking, and analytics, over the internet ("the cloud"). Instead of owning and maintaining physical data centers and servers, companies can access these services as needed from cloud service providers. This allows for greater flexibility, scalability, and cost savings compared to traditional on-premises infrastructure.

Who is a cloud engineer?

A cloud engineer is a professional who specializes in designing, developing, and maintaining cloud-based systems. They possess a deep understanding of cloud computing technologies and platforms and expertise in networking and security.

A cloud engineer is responsible for building and managing cloud infrastructure, as well as ensuring the scalability, availability, and performance of cloud-based applications. They work closely with developers, operations teams, and other stakeholders to design and implement cloud solutions that meet the needs of the business.

Consider a case where we have an application that needs access to servers, databases, cache, and networks. Below are the responsibilities a DevOps engineer would need to undertake:

Provide the cost analysis of possible cloud-based solutions so that the management can choose the best cost-performance fit.
Register and configure selected cloud-based solutions.
Select the right amount of resources. What is the right specification for the database? What type of server should we get? Is it the one with more CPU, RAM, or network bandwidth?
Once the cloud solution is set up and configured, they provide information to the development team on how they can integrate it into the application.
Routinely assess and monitor the cloud infrastructure to see if there are resources that are not being fully utilized to their maximum capacity (overprovisioned) or if there are resources that are simply not enough for application (underprovisioned)

Difference: Cloud Engineering vs. DevOps Engineering

We'll look at the differences in responsibilities and what hiring managers consider.

Responsibilities

Cloud engineers focus primarily on managing the organization’s cloud infrastructure, from choosing the right service solutions to managing costs. They also make sure that the infrastructure is able to scale properly and is secured.

DevOps engineers focus more on automating the process of developing and releasing software efficiently. From preparing the application for deployment to end-users to automating different internal processes within the organization.

Hiring considerations

Cloud engineers are valued based on their knowledge and experience of their specific cloud platform. So one way of advancing your skill and credibility as a cloud engineer would be to obtain as many cloud certifications as possible.

DevOps Engineers are also valued based on proficiency with a vast amount of different tools and overall years of experience. The skill set for DevOps Engineers is much more extensive as they also deal with tools and technologies outside the cloud platform.

Skills and Salaries

Given that DevOps engineer requires skills and proficiency in more tools and technologies, this is the reason why they are in demand and paid more.

DevOps Engineers have an average salary of about $100,000 US Dollars per year. Cloud Engineers, on the other hand, earn, on average, $91,000.00 US Dollars per year. However, there are also many considerations, like years of experience and expertise, that can further lower this gap.

Nevertheless, being a cloud engineer is a much easier approach. Whether you are just starting out or shifting your career from another industry to IT. The path for cloud engineers is much more linear and easier to follow.

Similarities: Cloud Engineering vs. DevOps Engineering

DevOps engineers are similar to Cloud Engineers in certain ways.

Both can make use of cloud platforms and services. They assess what cloud resources are ideal for the applications being developed and the organization.
Both are responsible for making sure that the infrastructure can scale effectively while at the same time managing the cost.
Both fields involve automating as many processes as they can. For instance, they automate logging and alerting systems to ensure faster response when unexpected issues occur.

If you wish to pursue cloud engineering and don't know where to start, read this blog: Which One Should You Learn? Google Cloud vs. AWS vs. Azure

If you wish to pursue DevOps Engineering and don't know where to start, read these two blogs: How to Get into DevOps and Top 7 Skills Required for DevOps Engineers in 2023 (with Roadmap)

Conclusion

DevOps and cloud engineers are extremely valuable to any organization they work for. As more companies migrate to the cloud and adopt agile development, the demand for the two will only continue to grow.

To start your journey to be a DevOps or Cloud Engineer, look no further; KodeKloud has everything you need to start immediately.

If you want to be a DevOps Engineer, check out our DevOps Learning Path.

If you want to be a Cloud Engineer, check out our Cloud Learning Path.

People are also reading:

Paul Andrew Arboleda

Oct 5, 2022 • 5 min read