Do you aspire to become a DevOps engineer but are feeling overwhelmed not knowing the exact direction for the journey you need to undertake to reach the end of the labyrinth? If so, you have come to the right place as this article will help pave a DevOps roadmap with the essential pitstops you need to make on the way to becoming a DevOps expert.
Becoming a DevOps engineer is certainly not a simple process as it requires you to have an eclectic knowledge of various concepts and skills, including both technical core skills and soft skills, as well as a comprehensive understanding of the DevOps lifecycle. Fortunately, several offline and online platforms provide DevOps engineer training, which can help you procure the crucial skills and expertise you need to dominate the DevOps field.
What is DevOps?
So, exactly what is DevOps? The term DevOps is an amalgamation of the word’s development and operation, and it can be defined as a set of practices, methodology, and technologies that are deployed productively in a simplified and streamlined manner to ensure that the various tasks of the software delivery cycle are deployed efficiently from start to finish in an efficient way so that the customers receive applications much faster.
Now that you know what DevOps entails, let us break down the DevOps journey into manageable steps that you can take to become a skilled DevOps engineer.
1. Understanding the DevOps work culture
Understanding the DevOps culture is the first step toward becoming a DevOps engineer. The DevOps mindset is all about working in unison to accomplish a common goal. It is your obligation as a DevOps engineer to ensure that this point of singularity is reached. When an organization adopts a DevOps culture, the DevOps engineer ensures that the developer and operations teams collaborate to build, code, incorporate, and deliver applications while thinking creatively to resolve the challenges that arise along the way. This encourages better work collaborations, and organizations gain from reduced expenses and enhanced system performance.
2. Roles and responsibilities of a DevOps engineer
It is pointless to become a DevOps engineer if you have no clue what your obligations and responsibilities as a DevOps engineer are. Below mentioned are the key duties of a DevOps engineer:
- Project management, code creation, and overseeing Software Development and Deployment
- Investigate the DevOps tools employed in system development and maintenance.
- Application evaluation and quality control
- Automation and security
3. Learn Programming languages and Agile methodology
A DevOps engineer must work directly with developers and system administrators to automate development and operations chore;, thus, he or she must be well-versed in scripting and coding. Small scripts may be needed to automate operations such as backups, system monitoring, and network administration, so a DevOps engineer should be proficient with a scripting language such as JavaScript. A DevOps engineer must also be fluent in several programming languages, including Python, Node.js, and Ruby.
4. Get acquainted with Git and version control systems
A DevOps engineer must be knowledgeable in source control, code management, and storing changes to scripts and infrastructure configurations. As a result, became familiar with the Git and GitHub tools, which are the two most important source control systems.
5. Study Linux Basics and operating systems
The infrastructure for running the application must be prepared by a DevOps engineer, and most businesses run their applications on Linux servers. To learn about operating systems and how they function, it is helpful to comprehend Linux, fundamental Linux commands, software installation, Linux file system permissions, and directory structure. Because DevOps is mainly an operations function, one may be required to handle a large number of servers, which necessitates the expertise of SSH key management as well as BASH.
6. Understanding of networking and security protocols
A DevOps engineer should be familiar with DNS troubleshooting principles and tools, as well as IP addresses, fundamental networking, firewalls, proxy servers, load balancers, and HTTP/HTTPS. Understanding cybersecurity is critical for preventing data and application invasion.
7. Get familiar with the Cloud
Most DevOps applications have transitioned to Cloud computing platforms due to their scalability, affordability, and other advantages. As a result, a DevOps engineer must have a fundamental awareness of cloud providers such as Google Cloud, AWS, and Azure, as well as the services they offer.
8. Knowledge of DevOps tools
DevOps is carried out in stages, and a DevOps engineer must be skilled in the tools and technologies used in each stage of a DevOps lifecycle in order for it to work well. A thorough understanding of build tools like Maven, automation tools like Selenium and Junit, configuration management technologies like Ansible, Puppet, CHEF, and Salt stack, and application monitoring tools like Nagios, Zabbix, and Splunk is required.
9. Understand Infrastructure as code (IaC)
Infrastructure as a code is a strategy for streamlining multiple infrastructure components to ensure that applications are delivered efficiently. As a DevOps engineer, you must use IaC to codify the entire infrastructure, allowing teams participating in the software development cycle to comprehend the changes introduced into the code, resulting in error-free and dependable infrastructure.
10. Study CI/CD pipelines
Continuous integration and continuous delivery, commonly known as a CI/CD pipeline, are at the heart of DevOps. Using CI/CD pipelines automates code testing and delivery, saving time. As a result, if you want to become a DevOps engineer, make sure you understand a CI/CD pipeline and its various technologies, such as Jenkins, Gitlab, and Travis CI.
11. Enroll in a Certification program
Enrolling in a DevOps engineering program that offers a certification will not only certify your expertise and proficiency in various aspects of DevOps, but it can also help you smoothly navigate your route to being a DevOps engineer. Many universities and online platforms offer master’s programs in DevOps engineering, as well as industry-approved certification courses such as certified Kubernetes administrator, Puppet Professional Certification, or Docker Certified Associate (DCA).
These courses can help you build the skills required to become a DevOps expert, with live interactive seminars conducted by industry professionals and real-life case studies. The key advantage of these certification courses is that they feature a well-structured and personalized curriculum that covers all of the fundamental and advanced topics. The main highlight of these certification courses is that they have a well-structured and tailored curriculum that encapsulates all the basic and advanced knowledge of various tools and skillsets used in the deployment of the DevOps lifecycle in a practical hands-on, interactive environment that help you excel in your DevOps career.
Who can work as a DevOps engineer?
It is critical to have the relevant industry experience to become a DevOps engineer. You can get experience as a Software Engineer/Developer, System Administrator, or Operations Manager and then gradually progress to become a full-fledged DevOps Engineer for a smooth transfer to a DevOps profession.
Lastly, throughout the process of becoming a DevOps engineer, it is critical to prioritize embracing the DevOps mindset of teamwork and comprehending the many concepts related to DevOps rather than just the technologies involved. With the number of chances in the pipeline, one may be confident that a career in the DevOps environment is fulfilling, gratifying, and worthwhile.
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