DevOps Roadmap: Beginner to Advanced
Introduction to DevOps
DevOps is a set of practices, philosophies, and cultural philosophies that aim to unify software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops). The primary goal of DevOps is to shorten the development lifecycle, deliver high-quality software continuously, and improve collaboration between development and operations teams.
What is DevOps?
- DevOps is not just a set of tools or technologies; it's a cultural shift that emphasizes collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement.
- It bridges the gap between development (building software) and operations (running and maintaining software).
- DevOps focuses on automating processes, improving efficiency, and enabling faster delivery of applications.
Why DevOps?
- Faster Delivery: Automating processes allows teams to release software more frequently and reliably.
- Improved Collaboration: Breaks down silos between development and operations teams.
- Enhanced Quality: Continuous testing and monitoring ensure higher-quality software.
- Scalability: Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and containerization enable scalable and repeatable deployments.
- Reliability: Monitoring and logging tools help identify and resolve issues quickly.
Key Principles of DevOps
- Automation: Automate repetitive tasks like testing, deployments, and infrastructure provisioning.
- Continuous Integration (CI): Merge code changes frequently and test them automatically.
- Continuous Delivery (CD): Ensure software can be released to production at any time.
- Monitoring and Logging: Track application performance and errors in real-time.
- Collaboration: Foster a culture of shared responsibility between teams.
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Manage infrastructure using code for consistency and scalability.
DevOps Lifecycle
The DevOps lifecycle consists of the following stages:
- Plan: Define requirements and plan the development process.
- Code: Write and review code collaboratively.
- Build: Compile and build the application.
- Test: Automate testing to ensure quality.
- Release: Deploy the application to production.
- Deploy: Use CI/CD pipelines for seamless deployments.
- Operate: Monitor and manage the application in production.
- Monitor: Continuously monitor performance and gather feedback.
- Feedback: Use insights to improve the next iteration.
Who is This Roadmap For?
This roadmap is designed for:
- Beginners: Those new to DevOps who want to build a strong foundation.
- Intermediate Learners: Professionals looking to deepen their knowledge of DevOps tools and practices.
- Advanced Practitioners: Experts aiming to master advanced concepts like SRE, DevSecOps, and cloud-native architectures.
How to Use This Roadmap
- Start with the Basics: Focus on Linux, Git, and networking fundamentals.
- Progress Gradually: Move to core DevOps skills like Docker, CI/CD, and IaC.
- Practice Consistently: Work on hands-on projects to reinforce your learning.
- Stay Updated: Follow blogs, YouTube channels, and communities to keep up with the latest trends.
🌱 Stage 1: Foundations
Linux Fundamentals
- Master basic Linux commands and shell scripting
- Learn file system navigation, permissions, and package management
- Resources:
Version Control
- Learn Git basics: init, clone, add, commit, push, pull
- Understand branching strategies, merge conflicts, and pull requests
- Resources:
Networking Basics
- Understand IP addressing, subnets, DNS, and basic network troubleshooting
- Learn about HTTP/HTTPS, SSL/TLS, and API basics
- Resources:
- Blog: NetworkLessons
- Video: Networking Fundamentals by PowerCert
🌿 Stage 2: Core DevOps Skills
Containerization with Docker
- Learn container concepts and Docker architecture
- Master Dockerfile creation, image building, and container orchestration basics
- Resources:
CI/CD Pipelines
- Understand continuous integration and continuous deployment concepts
- Set up basic pipelines with GitHub Actions or Jenkins
- Resources:
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
- Learn Terraform basics for provisioning infrastructure
- Understand declarative vs imperative approaches
- Resources:
🌲 Stage 3: Intermediate Skills
Kubernetes
- Understand Kubernetes architecture and components
- Deploy applications, manage resources, and implement scaling
- Resources:
Configuration Management
- Learn Ansible for automating configuration and deployments
- Understand idempotency and creating reusable roles
- Resources:
Monitoring and Logging
- Set up monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana
- Implement logging with ELK stack or similar solutions
- Resources:
🌳 Stage 4: Advanced DevOps
Cloud Platforms
- Gain expertise in a major cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Learn cloud-native architectures and services
- Resources:
Service Mesh
- Understand service mesh concepts with Istio or Linkerd
- Implement traffic management, security, and observability
- Resources:
- Blog: Istio Documentation
- Video: Service Mesh with Istio by IBM
GitOps
- Implement GitOps workflows with tools like ArgoCD or Flux
- Understand declarative deployment patterns
- Resources:
🌴 Stage 5: Expert Level
Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
- Implement SRE practices: SLOs, SLIs, error budgets
- Design for reliability and fault tolerance
- Resources:
- Blog: Google SRE Book
- Video: SRE Implements DevOps by Google Cloud
Security in DevOps (DevSecOps)
- Integrate security into the DevOps pipeline
- Implement container security, SAST, DAST, and compliance as code
- Resources:
Advanced Kubernetes and Cloud-Native
- Master Kubernetes operators and custom resources
- Implement multi-cluster, multi-region deployments
- Resources:
📚 Notable DevOps Blogs to Follow
🎥 YouTube Channels to Subscribe
Learning Projects for Practice
- Set up a CI/CD pipeline for a simple web application
- Create a Kubernetes cluster and deploy a microservices application
- Implement infrastructure as code for a multi-environment deployment
- Build a monitoring and alerting system for your application
- Develop a disaster recovery plan and test it
Remember, DevOps is as much about culture and collaboration as it is about tools and technology. Focus on learning the principles behind the practices, not just the specific tools.