DevOps

Top DevOps Queries Answered

In this blog, we will answer some of your most pressing questions about the fast-growing trend of DevOps!

What is DevOps?

Many people have varying opinions on DevOps; the answer you receive when you ask what it means depends on who you ask. However, at a high level, DevOps is simply the act of syncing the development and operation processes into a more collaborative process.

It’s better not to think of DevOps as a single task or tool but as a culture that involves using a specific set of tools to ensure fast change in a particular system while tracking and maintaining quality. These processes came into existence to bridge the divide between Dev and Ops and smoothen the software delivery workflow.

To learn more about DevOps tools, check out this blog: 5 DevOps Tools Every Beginner Should Know in 2023

Does DevOps require coding?

While not every project will require heavy development work, it is absolutely important for every engineer to have a healthy balance of development skills and operational knowledge. It is good to have practical abilities in different types of programming languages as well as scripting knowledge.

Learn more about this blog: Does DevOps or Cloud Engineer Need Coding?

What are the skills required to become a great DevOps engineer?

Proper knowledge of different types of programming and scripting languages
Familiarity with the various open-source tools needed in day-to-day work
Knowledge of IT operations is essential
Testing and deployment of software code
Understanding of VMs, containers, and microservices
Knowledge of the infrastructure as code and related tools
The ability to work in a collaborative environment

Learn more about the required skills from this blog: 14 Top Skills Required for DevOps in 2023

Is DevOps easy to learn?

This is an open-ended question with no right answer. The answer really depends on a person’s true passion and learning consistency. Since there is no proper course in schools and colleges related to the tools and processes surrounding DevOps, it can be hard to supplement that lack of knowledge.

The best way to learn DevOps is by taking a comprehensive learning path that not only includes DevOps practices but also the essential tools. At Kodekloud, we have a DevOps Learning Path.

The path is meticulously crafted to equip individuals with a comprehensive understanding of DevOps principles and practices, starting with foundational concepts and moving on to advanced automation and observability techniques. The path culminates in mastering observability through the Prometheus Certified Associate (PCA) certification.

How long does it take to learn DevOps?

There is no universal benchmark for becoming a proficient DevOps practitioner. Getting up to speed solely depends on an individual’s ability to learn new concepts with passion and consistency. For some, it may take a decent amount of time, and for others, it may come naturally.

Here are some of the DevOps concepts to get you started: 6 DevOps Concepts Every DevOps Engineer Should Know

Who can learn DevOps?

The short answer is that anybody who wants to learn about the DevOps culture and processes can obtain a high earning potential. This can include self-taught practitioners looking to enter a new field.

What are the stages in DevOps?

Plan
Build
Continuous integration
Release
Deploy
Operate
Monitor
Continuous Feedback

What is Continuous Integration?

Continuous Integration (CI) is a software development practice in which developers integrate their code changes into a shared repository frequently, preferably several times a day. An automated build and automated tests then verify each integration. This approach aims to detect and resolve integration issues early and quickly.

With CI, developers can detect errors and conflicts in their code faster and more efficiently, which helps them produce higher-quality software. Additionally, CI can help teams reduce the time and effort required to release software by automating the build and testing processes.

Read more about this in our blog: What is CI/CD Pipeline in DevOps?

What is Continuous Delivery?

Continuous Delivery (CD) is a software engineering approach in which teams produce software in short cycles, ensuring the software can be reliably released at any time. This practice is aimed at building, testing, and releasing software more frequently and efficiently.

With CD, code changes are automatically built, tested, and deployed to production, eliminating the need for manual processes. This helps reduce the time and effort required to release software while improving the quality of the software being released.

What is Continuous Deployment?

Continuous Deployment (CD) is an extension of Continuous Integration (CI), where every code change that passes the automated testing phase is automatically deployed to production. This means that code changes are released to users continuously and automatically without manual intervention.

CD can help teams release new features and fixes much faster and with more confidence, as it reduces the risk of human error and ensures that the code has been thoroughly tested before being deployed. However, a high level of automation and a robust testing infrastructure are required to ensure the code changes are safe for production deployment.

What are the most common DevOps tools used?

Plan: JIRA
Build: Maven, Gradle, Docker, GitHub, GitLab
Continuous integration: Jenkins, CircleCI, Travis CI
Release: Jenkins, Bamboo
Deploy: Ansible, Kubernetes, Heroku, Amazon Web Services, Azure, Google Cloud Platform
Operate: Botmetric, Docker, Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Terraform
Monitor: Nagios, Splunk
Continuous Feedback: Slack

Learn more about the role of these tools: 5 DevOps Tools Every Beginner Should Know in 2023

What are the most popular DevOps tools that a beginner should know?

Jenkins

Jenkins is the most popular CI tool in the DevOps space. With Jenkins, it is effortless to achieve visual ops.

Docker

Docker is a tool for packaging and running containerized applications.

Ansible

Ansible is an open-source software automation tool that automates software provisioning, configuration management, and application deployment.

Kubernetes

Kubernetes is a powerful open-source platform for container orchestration that automates the deployment and management of containerized applications.

OpenShift

OpenShift is Red Hat’s open-source cloud development Platform as a Service (PaaS), which allows developers to create, test, and run their applications and deploy them to the cloud without any hassle.

What is a pipeline in DevOps?

In DevOps, a pipeline refers to a set of automated processes that enable teams to build, test, and deploy software applications quickly and reliably. The pipeline typically consists of multiple stages that represent different phases of the software development lifecycle, such as code compilation, unit testing, integration testing, and deployment.

Each stage is designed to detect and correct defects early in the development process, which helps to minimize the risk of errors and reduce the time required to deploy new features. By automating the pipeline, DevOps teams can achieve greater efficiency, consistency, and agility, enabling them to deliver high-quality software applications at a faster pace.

Read more about pipelines from this blog: How CI/CD Pipeline Works.

Where can I start my DevOps learning?

The best place to start is by enrolling in an online learning platform that offers hands-on learning. At KodeKloud, we have a DevOps Learning Path, which is meticulously crafted to equip individuals with a comprehensive understanding of DevOps principles and practices, from foundational concepts to advanced automation and observability techniques. The path culminates with mastering observability through the Prometheus Certified Associate (PCA) certification.

How can I get DevOps experience prior to the actual job?

At KodeKloud, we have a platform, KodeKloud Engineer, where you can gain real hands-on experience. It is a free platform where IT professionals gain experience by working on trending IT technologies.

Try KodeKloud Engineer for FREE!

What is the average DevOps Engineer salary?

In 2022, the average salary in DevOps is well over $130,000 per year. Of course, that's the salary in rich countries like the US. But the thing is, it does not matter where you are located in the world. DevOps practices are very easy to implement from a distance. Since it's a remote-friendly job, companies from the US will hire you no matter what country you're from if you can prove you have the skills.

For more details, check out this blog: Why Are DevOps Salaries so High? (Over $130,000 / year)

Mumshad Mannambeth

Jul 28, 2021 • 6 min read